Chapter 384: The Xi'an Incident (II)
"Your Majesty, this is the man." Gong Yu pointed to Li Feng, the commander-in-chief of the Bordered White Banner of the Han army, and showed him to Huo Chong.
Huo Chong glanced at Gong Yu and felt that this guy would definitely not come here just for a shitty Qing general. There were nearly 200,000 Qing soldiers captured this time, including tens of thousands of Eight Banners. There were also many landlords who owed blood debts in Shandong... Oh, the former landlord Aisin-Gioro Basai gnashed his teeth and claimed that he would eat his flesh and sleep on his skin.
The number of arrests was unknown, but it was not even considered fair.
Li Feng was a middle-aged man in his forties. When he saw Huo Chong, he stood with his hands down and his head lowered. After hearing Gong Yu introduce himself, Li Feng immediately knelt down in front of Huo Chong and shouted loudly: "Your Majesty, I am a Han Chinese. I am a Han Chinese!"
"Huh?" Huo Chong was a little surprised by this scene.
Li Feng seemed to have been tamed by the Qing Dynasty and knew what a slave should be like. He kept his head on the ground and continued to talk, "Your Majesty, my ancestors were Han Chinese. They were coerced by the Qing Dynasty and incorporated into the Eight Banners, becoming bannermen. But I...but I am Han Chinese. You can tell from my last name that I am not Manchu!"
Afterwards, Li Feng spoke again, all in an attempt to prove that he was a descendant of the Han people, not the Manchus. At this time, Emperor Huo Chong, who had decided to follow the Han people, asked Huo Chong to give him a chance to redeem himself and make meritorious contributions.
Huo Chong was a little confused and turned to look at Gong Yu. Gong Yu smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I also think what this person said is incomprehensible, but after thinking about it carefully, I feel that this person is not talking nonsense. That's why I brought this guy here to show Your Majesty."
Huo Chong nodded somewhat confusedly, and then asked Li Feng's name, and then asked: "Li Feng, but you are a bannerman."
"Your Majesty, the Eight Banners were organized by Taizu... Nurhaci reorganized them, with Niulu Ezhen, Jiala Ezhen, and Gushan Ezhen as their leaders. Initially, the four flags of yellow, white, red, and blue were set up, forming four banners. The young and strong men were all soldiers in wartime and civilians in peacetime. My ancestors were Han Chinese from the Ming Dynasty, who were captured by the Manchus and incorporated into the Eight Banners. Those who are registered in the Eight Banners are bannermen. But my ancestors are real Han Chinese. The Jurchens born outside the Great Wall were also called Manchus by the Qing Dynasty, but they were not from the Eight Banners. Your Majesty, most bannermen are not Manchus, and most Manchus are probably not from the Eight Banners. I know I was wrong, and I hope Your Majesty will give me a chance to redeem myself and make meritorious contributions!"
Huo Chong was inevitably moved by Li Feng's words, and he picked up his pen to write down Li Feng's powerful words: "Most bannermen are not Manchus, and most Manchus are not necessarily from the Eight Banners." Then he looked at Li Feng.
Seeing that the guy still had his head pressed against the ground, Huo Chong didn't like the way he looked, so he asked Li Feng to stand up and asked the guard to give Li Feng a stool to sit on.
Li Feng's forehead was a little purple, and he thanked him profusely and sat on a quarter of his buttocks. Huo Chong was very unhappy about this, and before Huo Chong could say anything, he heard Gong Yu shouting: "Sit down when I tell you to, and sit down properly. Do you want to act pitiful like this? I, the Chinese Dynasty, would probably kill this dog slave!"
Hearing Gong Yu's scolding, Li Feng immediately jumped up. However, he had been an official for so many years, so he quickly realized what Gong Yu was talking about. Seeing that Huo Chong said nothing, Li Feng quickly said a few words accusing himself of being ungrateful, and then carefully sat down on the stool.
But it was stable and comfortable. Li Feng sat like this, with his legs slightly apart and his hands on his knees, and his whole state immediately looked much better. At least he didn't look like a slave, which was disgusting to Huo Chong.
Huo Chong then asked Li Feng a few questions, and Li Feng quickly answered the key points, "Your Majesty, the officials in the Qing Dynasty have a miserable life. Since they fled to Xi'an, their salaries are said to be halved, but in fact they are not paid. They are just given some food rations. Those with small families are better off, but those with large families almost have to beg on the streets. Since Your Majesty confiscated the officials' land, their families can only travel thousands of miles to Xi'an. After arriving, they cry all day and say that they have to starve to death. Even if they die, they might as well die at home. At least they can be buried in the ancestral tomb after death..."
It seems that Li Feng's disappointment with the Qing Dynasty was not something that happened suddenly after he was captured. From what he said, after the Qing Dynasty fled to Xi'an, Li Feng, an unsteady member among the Bannermen, felt the pain brought about by the Qing Dynasty's continuous decline, and perhaps he had other ideas.
Almost at the same time, several people knelt in front of Gao Pang's father-in-law Chen Mingtai, and Gao Pang had to ask the guards to pull them up. Several people did not sit down, but wiped their tears and begged Gao Pang to order their families to come back. These people were related to Chen Mingtai, and they were all family members of officials. They had suffered a lot in Xi'an, and now they no longer had the gentry style of the family members of officials in the past. They all begged Gao Pang to allow them to go home, even if they died at home.
Gao Pang had previously discussed the situation of the Qing Dynasty with other members of the Ministry of Rites at a "work retreat" in the organization's life. During their analysis, the financial staff believed that the finances of the Qing Dynasty's Xi'an court were close to collapse. Others disagreed.
After all, everyone was born in a low-class family. What did the emperor do in winter? He probably chopped firewood with a golden axe and roasted taro to eat. This really sounded real to everyone.
Since they didn't know how the court operated, even if they were officials now and became a member of the social management system of the Chinese court, everyone still thought that since the emperor owned the world, there must be countless gold, silver and jewelry piled up in the palace. If these people had seen some dramas, they would think that a pearl could be worth a fortune, and selling a few pearls might be enough to raise a year's military expenses.
Since it was a brainstorming meeting, Gao Pang certainly would not criticize anyone. Everyone just discussed and argued equally, and even had a little dispute. In the end, no one was able to convince anyone else.
Gao Pang was delighted to hear that the Qing Dynasty's finances were indeed on the verge of collapse. Huo Chong had said at the Ministry of Rites' training center that the collapse of any dynasty began with financial collapse. The Qing Dynasty was no exception. When the Qing Dynasty ran out of money, the lackeys who took money to do things would naturally become disloyal. Coupled with the fact that several major battles had defeated so many of the Qing Dynasty's elite, the Qing Dynasty would only disintegrate faster.
Gao Pang was so happy that he didn't take the crying and begging guys to heart until he heard his father-in-law coughing hard. Gao Pang had to pull his mind away from this, but he was still too excited at this time. Gao Pang said, "Arrange a place for them to stay and give them something to eat." After that, he got up and left.
As soon as he left the house, the guard followed him out and asked, "Do you want to guard it?"
"Send someone to monitor them. Don't let them go out." Gao Pang left after saying this. This news needs to be discussed with the general branch of the Ministry of Rites. There are quite a few officials in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and most of them have fled to the Qing Dynasty. Later, when the land was divided, their families also ran away. At this time, some people finally began to return, and this matter cannot be ignored.
However, just after Gao Pang finished the meeting of the day, the guard came to report, "Governor, those people were arranged by Chen Yanwu. They didn't let us guard the gate."
It was not surprising that the old father-in-law arranged the accommodation for those people, after all, the old father-in-law was also a nostalgic person. But not letting anyone guard the door was a bit too much. Gao Pang did not believe that the old father-in-law was a confused person, so he went to the old father-in-law to ask.
Chen Mingtai listened to Gao Pang's question and replied calmly: "Since we want them to come back, we can't send people to block their door every day. Instead of relaxing it later, it's better to be open now. If they make any unusual moves, just punish them according to their crimes."
Seeing his father-in-law's calm words, Gao Pang didn't know whether to praise or refute. Without waiting for Gao Pang to speak, Chen Mingtai said, "Gao Pang, you should quickly convene a meeting of the Ministry of Rites and invite His Majesty to ascend the throne. At this moment, the Qing Dynasty is only a false name. Anyone who knows the true situation knows that the Qing Dynasty is over. Your Majesty ascending the throne at this time will announce it to the world, so that those who are already wavering in the Qing Dynasty will understand earlier that their end has come."
Gao Pang hesitated a bit. But he changed his mind and suddenly became excited. In any case, Huo Chong's ascension to the throne was a big deal. More importantly, it could really boost morale. As far as Gao Pang could see, although these Jiangnan scholars had already had some awe of the actual Chinese court and even wanted to take advantage of it, they still believed in their hearts that the Chinese court was just a group of rebels. The Manchu Qing Dynasty was the orthodoxy in these people's minds.
While Gao Pang and his father-in-law were discussing, Gong Yu presented a report to Huo Chong. Huo Chong could not help but frowned slightly. After all, although being an emperor was a tradition of this era, Huo Chong still had great concerns about the political path that would be created after becoming an emperor. If possible, Huo Chong still wanted to establish a republic.
"Your Majesty. I have already done a questionnaire survey. I have written down the logical reasoning of the questions. Although the Ministry of Rites has already expressed the hope that it will be the right choice in the court, everyone still lacks confidence in our Chinese court. When the Qing Dynasty is mentioned, the court comes to mind. So I ask Your Majesty to ascend the throne to strengthen the morale of our army! As long as Your Majesty ascends the throne, issue a manifesto. Make it clear to the court, the Ministry of Rites, and our Chinese army that the Qing Dynasty is nothing but a group of bandits who took advantage of Li Zicheng's destruction of the Ming Dynasty to cause chaos in China. They are nothing but monkeys in human form, and thieves are in power. I have even thought of how to call the Qing Dynasty. Just call it the thief Qing."
"Zhe Qing, haha." Huo Chong laughed out loud. This sharp name reminded Huo Chong of "Chiang Kai-shek". No matter how many people in the 21st century keep glorifying bald heads, Huo Chong felt that the term "Chiang Kai-shek" was absolutely correct.
However, no matter how hard Gong Yu tried to persuade him, Huo Chong still hesitated. Fortunately, Gong Yu didn't waste his words. After he finished what he needed to say, he left.
Before Huo Chong could make up his mind, a petition for the throne was submitted, signed by all Zhejiang civil servants, led by the Zhejiang Ministry of Rites, headed by Gao Pang, the head of the general branch.
Then came Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan, Anhui, Fujian. All branches and even officials of the Chinese court submitted petitions to persuade him to ascend the throne.
After all, the military districts were soldiers, so they didn't have so many ideas. When they learned that the civil officials and the Ministry of Rites had submitted petitions to persuade him to ascend the throne, they immediately followed up at the speed of the military. The war zones of Henan, Hebei, Shandong, Anhui, Fujian, and Jiangning all submitted petitions to persuade him to ascend the throne.
Huo Chong felt helpless. These guys were just making a fuss!
Just as he was hesitating, the second form of persuasion was sent in.
Soldiers are soldiers after all, and that's where the excitement comes in. Perhaps they thought one copy was enough, and let the civilians get ahead. Although the war zones were still a little slow this time, they followed up immediately.
Huo Chong had no choice but to summon all the members of the Ministry of Rites to the capital. When Gao Pang and others saw Huo Chong, they did not speak, but looked at the Minister of Rites Luo Yiren. Luo Yiren stepped forward and handed something to Huo Chong with both hands.
When Huo Chong opened it, he saw that it was signed unanimously by the Ministry of Rites, all members of the Ministry of Rites, the entire military, and all civil servants.
Of course, not everyone signed. It was filled with various administrative units, with the province at the top and all the prefectures below signing and stamping. The Ministry of Rites was headed by each general branch, and each branch signed and stamped under the general branch to which it belonged.
The military is organized into army, division, and regiment units. All are signed and sealed.
Seeing Huo Chong glanced at it briefly, Luo Yiren
Huo Chong sighed helplessly. He had wanted to discuss national affairs with these bastards, but he didn't expect them to ask him for the third time.
Looking at Luo Yiren, Huo Chong wanted to know who came up with this trick! However, there are quite a few scholars among the guys in front of him! As long as they are scholars, they know this trick very well.
Huo Chong couldn't help but taunt him, "Are you guys going to refuse three times?"
The "three resignations and three resignations" originated from the story of Zhou Taibo giving up his throne to Ji Li, which was later called Shengde. In other words, the ministers submitted a petition to ask Huo Chong to take the throne. Huo Chong responded by saying that he was not virtuous enough, and then the ministers came again for the second time. Huo Chong also resigned for the second time. The ministers came for the third time, and Huo Chong still resigned.
Finally, the ministers vowed to do it again, and Huo Chong had no choice but to do it reluctantly.
After Cao Pi replaced the Han Dynasty, the three refusals and three declines became a kind of etiquette. Everyone should understand the meaning of etiquette. Whether you are happy or not, you still have to do it . Otherwise, it is equivalent to not completing the formalities.
Later, in ancient times, except for abdication, one had to decline the title three times. Even if an official applied to retire, according to etiquette, the emperor should issue three edicts to retain him to show respect.
Upon hearing this, Luo Yiren immediately expressed his objection, "Your Majesty, these are the three requests from the ministers, why did Your Majesty refuse three times? We are all sincere, Your Majesty is not asking the thieves to abdicate, so why refuse? Even if you agree, Your Majesty will be so heroic as to command the world with a three-foot sword in hand as a commoner. Let those literati talk!"
Gao Pang immediately followed up and said loudly: "Your Majesty, I see that Your Majesty is still hesitant. But there is no need to hesitate on this matter. As long as Your Majesty agrees, I can arrange the drama of those bluffing things."
"You also know that it's acting? Haha!" Huo Chong was finally amused.
Afterwards, Huo Chong asked all the core members of the Ministry of Rites to sit down and explained the republic and electoral democracy to everyone. What is democracy and what is a republic? Everyone in the Ministry of Rites has learned these things. After Huo Chong finished speaking, Luo Yiren immediately asked, "Does Your Majesty want to use the voting system?"
Huo Chong shook his head, "How can we implement a voting system?"
"Then why can't a republic have an emperor? Your Majesty, your logic doesn't make sense!" Luo Yiren asked Huo Chong loudly.
Huo Chong was stunned. It was rare for him to be told that his logic was illogical by the ancients.
Luo Yiren said loudly to the backbone members of the Ministry of Rites: "Your Majesty deeply hates the old system that eats people, and deeply hates feudalism and bureaucratic capitalism. Everyone knows this, right?"
Everyone nodded.
"Your Majesty may be worried that after your death, the crown prince will take over the throne and bring out the feudal emperor's ways, and China will return to feudalism. This would be a betrayal of your Majesty's ideals. What do you think?"
This time no one dared to speak, and many were dumbfounded, with the Chinese characters "Luo Yiren, you are so bold" almost appearing on their foreheads.
However, Luo Yiren was obviously not afraid. He continued to speak loudly: "If you ask me, this is all because your Majesty thinks too much. In this world, if your Majesty does not become the emperor, the people will not understand that they have changed. After your Majesty becomes the emperor, we, the members of the Ministry of Rites, will assist your Majesty in doing it well. However, if your Majesty does not become the emperor, it will be like facing a castle in the air. If the people of the world do not think that the castle belongs to your Majesty, how can your Majesty continue to move forward. Therefore, I think that your Majesty should not shirk his responsibility. This is the world today. Your Majesty is the emperor, so you must conform to this world!"
After hearing Luo Yiren's words return to the correct path, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Although Huo Chong was still uncomfortable, he had to admit that what Luo Yiren said was not unreasonable. In the Qing Dynasty, even if a republic was established and the head of state was elected, it would only cause huge chaos.
Moreover, this era is different from the late Qing Dynasty, when traditions were comprehensively reflected upon and even overthrown, so the republican system was a natural outcome.
Even if a republic was established at this time, Huo Chong did not think that the Chinese court he established would be like the Qing Dynasty, which lost power and humiliated the country. Since the country was unlikely to suffer serious losses, the comprehensive change of the national system became the source of unrest.
Thinking of this, Huo Chong sighed and said to Gao Pang: "Gao Pang, you take care of this!"
Gao Pang was extremely happy to hear that this task was handed over to him. Seeing Gao Pang's happy face, Huo Chongming said: "No extravagance and waste. In addition, according to the rules of our Huaxia Dynasty, it is illegal for officials to give or receive gifts. You must publicize this to everyone!"
"As you wish!" Gao Pang's face turned red with laughter.
On the tenth day of the ninth month of the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Han Dynasty, in the year 1733, Huo Chong paid homage to Zhu Yuanzhang's tomb and took the post of Grand Commander of the Han Dynasty in front of the tomb. He finally ascended the throne in Xuzhou, and the Han Dynasty was established.
In the edict announcing his enthronement, Huo Chong also announced Qian Qing as the King of Qi, in order to highlight the equal concept that women can hold up half the sky.
Lei Hu had already rushed back to Xuzhou. When he saw Qian Qing, he blushed and asked, "Are you really going to marry His Majesty?"
Qian Qing was stunned, and then a little angry. However, after a moment, Qian Qing couldn't help but show apology on his face, and Qian Qing tried to speak softly: "Tiger, please put me down."
Lei Hu got even more excited when he heard this. "I can let it go, I have let it go a long time ago! Qing'er, in terms of talent, I know I cannot compare to your Majesty. But in terms of my sincerity towards you, I will never lose to your Majesty! Why can't it be me! Why! Qing'er, no matter what happens between you and the master, I don't care. If I can't express my feelings, I will die. Besides, if you are willing to follow me, I don't want anything else. I will only treat you well!"
Qian Qing was so moved that his eyes were wet. Such a sincere and humble request could not help but move Qian Qing. However, Qian Qing could not help but sigh: "Tiger. Mr. is my supporter and the pillar of my family. He... is my boss. It's not that you are not good, and it's not that you are not good to me. But I just can't let go of Mr. in my heart. You... you... you understand. You must understand."
When Lei Hu heard this, his heart was empty. He didn't want to understand at all, but this metaphor made Lei Hu understand Qian Qing's feelings. For Lei Hu, isn't Qian Qing also the person who can't be let go no matter what!
Ever since he saw Qian Qing, Lei Hu suddenly felt that his life had become more glorious. It wasn't that Lei Hu wanted to get something from Qian Qing, but just being around Qian Qing made him feel warm and happy.
Lei Hu couldn't bear it any longer. In this despair, Lei Hu suddenly thought of a ray of hope. He said, "I will wait for you. I will wait for you until I die!"
After saying that, Lei Hu turned and left. In this great sorrow, Lei Hu could no longer bear the pain brought by Qian Qing, and he had no choice but to run away.
Looking at Lei Hu's back, Qian Qing couldn't help shedding a tear. He wiped his eyes quickly and shouted in the direction where Lei Hu ran away: "Fool! Big fool!"
