Chapter 140: Total Annihilation of the Jiangnan Gentry!

“Look at you, startled and flustered—what kind of appearance is that!”
A sinister voice suddenly echoed in the ears of the officials from Nanjing.

An elderly eunuch clad in a dragon robe with a jade belt and gold-threaded hairpin strode in step by step. On either side, courtesans and turtle slaves knelt respectfully to the ground.

A faint sneer appeared on his pale, wrinkled face as he scanned the room and took the highest seat.

“Eunuch Niu, what brings you here?” Zhang Shuo respectfully presented a cup of tea and spoke.

What brings me here?
I’ve been robbed too!

Niu Yu shot him a displeased glance.

Even if the Niu family had not become imperial in-laws, it was still an astonishingly powerful entity. Although Niu Yu had been demoted to Nanjing, through maneuvering, he still firmly held the position of Chief Eunuch of the Nanjing Directorate of Ceremonial.

This alone attested to the vastness of the Niu family's business and connections throughout Jiangnan. Whenever trouble arose anywhere, the flood of pleas for help nearly drowned Niu Yu.

Tapping the table, Niu Yu said, “Listen up, each of your sixteen families must contribute fifty thousand taels of silver in cash to be sent to the Nanjing garrison troops.”

“Eunuch Niu, isn’t that price a bit steep?” Minister Wang of the Ministry of War hesitated. The Nanjing Ministry of War had almost no control over the garrison troops—after all, with no wars for a long time, the garrison had become an independent faction.

They were beyond the Ministry’s command; no matter how much he shouted, the garrison troops wouldn’t budge a bit.

If you want to move them,
you have to pay more.

Everyone was a businessman; when money was involved, they had to weigh if it was worthwhile. After days of robbery, their losses only amounted to four or five thousand taels commercially.

Maybe the total loot was around eighteen thousand taels.

If you suddenly demand fifty thousand, that’s not going to happen!

Niu Yu scolded, “Stop dragging your feet. These bandits have an insatiable appetite. Don’t be fooled by the current minor losses; sooner or later, they’ll rob every last one of you!”

“Besides, it doesn’t seem they’re merely after robbery; they might even be aiming for the throne.”

The reluctant officials froze.

They had been agonized by the ongoing thefts but hadn’t considered this possibility!

Rumor had it these fierce bandits numbered over a thousand, a large-scale rebellion, especially since they were well-equipped, wielding firearms with devastating effect, unmatched by any.

If they took Nanjing to dominate the land, who could say what would happen!

The officials hesitated, “Then shall we pool our resources?”

“What are you standing there for? Collect the money! Don’t act poor in front of me. Each of you leaks thousands or tens of thousands of taels between your fingers. Fifty thousand taels won’t kill you!”

Niu Yu frowned, urging, “If these bandits take Jiangnan, you’ll all be dead!”

Hearing this, the officials, though pained, finally jotted down the location of the silver vault outside the city and had their eunuchs note it.

Niu Yu nodded with satisfaction.

Half would be withheld, the rest delivered by eunuch to the garrison camps of the Great Training Ground, Small Training Ground, Divine Machine Camp, and Patrol and Reconnaissance Camp.

A generous reward surely breeds brave men.

After receiving the substantial silver, the commanders of each camp conferred. They had over thirty-six thousand troops, including more than three thousand in the Divine Machine Camp, while the bandits numbered fewer than three thousand, divided into three groups.

They reasoned that thirty thousand against three thousand was a clear advantage.

Excited, they prepared to set out.

But before leaving the camp, a group of garrison eunuchs blocked their path.

One pale-faced, clean-shaven eunuch named Wang Min stepped forward with a smiling face and said, “Where are you gentlemen headed?”

“We’re patrolling the city, routine duty. Please, Eunuch, grant us passage.” Li Changfu, commander of the Patrol Camp, forced a smile and pulled out a gleaming gold ingot.

“Oh, Commander Li is quite generous. That piece must weigh twenty taels.”

Wang Min exclaimed in surprise, casually tossing it aside, his expression suddenly turning cold:

“Passage cannot be granted. It’s best if you gentlemen remain inside the camp these few days to avoid unnecessary trouble.”

“You dare, eunuch!”

The military officers, hot-tempered, glared angrily and retorted, “Bandits run rampant in Jiangnan, and we are ordered to act. How dare you interfere!”

They’d taken the money; how could they not get the job done!

In their line of work, credibility hinged on fulfilling duties upon payment—otherwise, no one would hire them again.

Wang Min sneered, pulling out a radiant imperial edict from his sleeve: “There is an order.”

Li Changfu immediately panicked, pleading, “Eunuch Wang, please show mercy and pretend we were never here today!”

“I cannot control that. The order is clear: no one from the five camps may leave the camp. Violators, from commanders to foot soldiers, shall be executed immediately and reported after!”

Wang Min said with a smile.

“Thank you for your guidance, Eunuch!” Li Changfu tearfully bowed and bellowed back at his men, “What are you waiting for? Move! Get out, all of you!”

He smiled bitterly in his heart; with such elite troops entering Nanjing, who else could be behind it?

They were truly mad to oppose the current regime; none who did so ever ended well.

...

Within Nanjing city, Zhu Yuanzhang and his group had just confiscated fifteen thousand taels of silver from a historically upright official family, which made him laugh with fury:

“These damned corrupt officials, always shouting about integrity and selflessness, boasting of their purity, yet their silver piles up like mountains. What kind of purity is this?”

Under the laws of the Hongwu era, this silver alone could flay every cell of these corrupt officials!

“Hang their heads on lanterns!” Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly, absorbing the gold and silver into his small realm.

“Yes!” Two soldiers immediately beheaded, sealed the blood, and hung the heads on lanterns with practiced efficiency that evoked pity.

Zhu Youjian roughly scanned the silver mountain in the small realm and the two unusually busy fat men atop it, calculating in his mind.

In recent days, the Old Zhu family had seized tens of millions of taels in Jiangnan, nearly stripping one-tenth of the region’s wealth. The major holders of silver who could be looted had likely all been targeted.

If they continued, it would become outrageous and risk undermining the court’s dignity.

Zhu Youjian paused and said, “Stop, Grandfather.”

Zhu Yuanzhang’s eyes, once bloodshot, receded as he sat in the Grand Tutor’s chair and ordered, “Eldest Grandson, have Fourth Uncle and the others come over.”

“Alright.” Zhu Youjian waved his hand.

Old Zhu Di and Zhu Laosi led two troops to assemble entirely.

Zhu Laosi said with lingering enthusiasm, “Father, shall we rob the city one more time?”

“Enough already. We’re raising funds for young Jian Shen, not dumping a mess on him.” Zhu Yuanzhang cast him a warning glance.

“Yes, Father, I understand.”

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand, “No need to strike while the iron’s hot. Later, we’ll visit the Zheng Tong or Jing Tai eras—Jiangnan’s gentry are still wealthy there.”

“Your Majesty is wise!”

Old Zhu Di praised.

“Enough with the flattery. We’ve beheaded many landlords and wealthy men these days, not a single mistake!”

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted with murderous intent, “They have agents in the Three Offices, the Six Ministries, and the twenty-four courts. Such powerful people have no place in our Ming!”

“This time, we’ll set up a special forces unit to sweep from the Jianwen to the Jingtai eras, so none of these corrupt officials controlling the court will escape!”

In the Hongwu era, there was no need; the Jiangnan gentry were routinely annihilated and posed no threat.

...