OBS Chapter 1020 Who hasn't been tricked by you two?
Chapter 1020 Who hasn't been tricked by you two?
Yang Shaofeng frowned slightly and looked at Li Wenzhong, asking, "Do you really dare to rebel?"
If the gentry and nobles of Jiangnan really dared to raise the flag of rebellion, they would definitely secretly manufacture some armor and weapons.
To mass-produce armor and weapons, relying solely on a few craftsmen is insufficient; iron mines and iron smelting workshops must be secured.
If the gentry and nobles of Jiangnan were to take over the iron mines and establish large-scale iron smelting workshops, it would inevitably alarm the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who had been keeping a close eye on the iron mines.
So why did Li Wenzhong assert that the gentry in Jiangnan were going to rebel when he, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was unaware of the news?
Li Wenzhong smiled and said, "Perhaps it's a direct rebellion, or perhaps, as my brother-in-law just said, poisoning or assassination. Who can say for sure?"
As soon as Li Wenzhong finished speaking, Yang Shaofeng and Zhu Biao sat up straight.
Li Wenzhong smiled again and said out of the blue, "Some people can't hold it in anymore."
Yang Shaofeng became even more curious, but Mu Ying sneered and said, "Just before my cousin and I came here, someone submitted a memorial to my godfather, urging him to take a few concubines for His Highness the Crown Prince."
"In addition, Prime Minister Li also reviewed the archives of the Embroidered Uniform Guard from the recent period."
"It has been discovered that the supply of medicinal herbs in Jiangnan is decreasing."
"Many gentry began to build bridges and roads, or rent or even sell cattle and horses to local people at low prices."
Yang Shaofeng blinked and asked, "Is this a sign that the gentry of Jiangnan are preparing to rebel?"
Li Wenzhong nodded and said, "That's right."
"Li Xiang said that simply reducing the supply of medicinal materials can be seen as merchants hoarding and speculating."
“Simply building bridges and roads, or renting cattle and horses at low prices, can also be seen as buying fame.”
"But the fact that these two events happened one after the other means that someone must have been making preparations in secret."
Seeing that Yang Shaofeng and Zhu Biao still looked a little confused, Li Wenzhong simply explained, "The saying goes, 'An army marches on its stomach,' and the supplies here are not just grain and fodder."
"Because food and fodder are not scarce, even if you don't stockpile them in advance, you can solve the problem by robbing them."
"To put it bluntly, if they can't outmaneuver the soldiers of the garrison, surely they can outmaneuver ordinary civilians?"
"But medicinal herbs are different."
"If you don't prepare in advance, you won't even have anywhere to rob."
"After all, they are preparing to rebel—if they don't prepare medicine in advance, the casualties caused by the lack of medical supplies once the fighting starts will be enough to bring down any rebel army."
"Although the gentry in Jiangnan are bad, they are not stupid. It is impossible for them to rebel without any preparation."
"Your Highness and brother-in-law, don't forget that many medicinal herbs are highly poisonous and can be used to poison people during wartime."
At this point, Li Wenzhong added meaningfully, "The key point is that His Highness's wedding is imminent, yet someone dared to advise my uncle to take a few concubines for His Highness the Crown Prince."
Yang Shaofeng nodded unconsciously.
Regarding the question of whether or not a rebellion might occur, Lao Deng and Li Shanchang, who had extensive experience in rebellion and had successfully carried it out, were clearly more professional.
I'm just an amateur at best, and I'm not qualified to question these two masters of rebellion.
However, what were those officials who submitted memorials to the emperor, urging him to take Zhu Biao as a concubine, really thinking?
Do you think Chang Heitan can't lift the knife anymore?
Do you still think that this alone can drive a wedge between Lao Deng and his son and Chang Heitan?
This is just pure idiocy.
Chang was raised by Empress Ma like a daughter from a young age, and received no less favor than Jin'er and Yu'er.
—To be more precise, Ms. Chang was raised from childhood to be the Crown Princess and even the future Empress.
Black sesame dumplings have been eyeing Ms. Chang for more than a year or two.
At this point, advising Old Deng to take a concubine with black sesame dumplings suggests that he has some serious mental illness.
Perhaps they thought Old Deng would agree and Black Sesame Dumplings would refuse, thus sowing discord between Old Deng and his son, Little Deng?
Or perhaps they thought that the black sesame dumplings might also agree, thus sowing discord between Xiao Deng and Chang Heitan, and even the Huai Xi noble group?
Yang Shaofeng kept having wild thoughts, while Zhu Biao, with a dark face, snorted coldly and said, "Taking a concubine? These people really dare to think and say such things."
Li Wenzhong scoffed and said, "Who knows what they're thinking?"
"However, Prime Minister Li said that the gentry in Jiangnan, or even all the gentry in the entire Ming Dynasty, could be involved this time."
"Because this is almost the last chance for the gentry."
"Once the railway is completed and firearms are deployed, the gentry will no longer have the opportunity to rebel. They will be left to their own devices, like fish on a chopping board, at the mercy of the court."
"As long as the gentry and gentlemen do not want to sit idly by and wait for their doom, they will definitely take advantage of His Highness's wedding to fight back."
"Therefore, preparations must be made in advance to avoid being caught off guard."
Mu Ying added, "My godfather also said that even if Prime Minister Li guesses wrong, it doesn't matter. Consider it as making more preparations in advance for the Fenglang Juxu campaign."
Zhu Biao hummed in agreement, first glancing at Li Wenzhong, then at Mu Ying.
Not right.
There's something completely wrong with it out of ten.
It's possible that Li Shanchang went through the archives of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
It is also possible that they would sense the possibility that the gentry might raise a flag in rebellion.
The problem is, would his own father care whether the gentry and nobles rebel?
Besides, if the gentry and nobles were really going to raise the flag and rebel, what would happen to my sworn brother who was sent to deal with the affairs of Tibet and Dali?
Is it a feint, a substitution, or a way to fish in troubled waters?
It still feels like something's not quite right.
More importantly, why was it my cousin who relayed this information—shouldn't I have been the first to know?
Just as Zhu Biao was pondering this, Yang Shaofeng frowned and asked, "Those gentry... have they been forced to this point?"
As Yang Shaofeng finished speaking, a look of helplessness immediately appeared on the faces of Li Wenzhong and Mu Ying.
So, do you really have no idea what kind of good deeds you and His Highness the Crown Prince have done?
The gentry and gentlemen of Jiangnan have been slowly driven into a corner by the two of you!
And it wasn't just the gentry and nobles of Jiangnan.
Which of the civil and military officials in the imperial court hasn't been tricked by the two of you?
Even the noble Hoonshi has suffered quite a bit at the hands of the two of you, hasn't he?
Li Wenzhong and Mu Ying were internally ranting and raving when Yang Shaofeng continued to ask, "Since Prime Minister Li suspects that those gentry and nobles might rebel, will the million laborers in the outer vassal states and the construction of the railway be affected?"