Chapter 136
Things have changed in Yichun.
Yao Chunnuan, Yu Chen and others led the crowd into the yamen in front of the Yichun prefectural government to take over the defense. First, they dismantled the original armed forces, and then took over the Yichun official warehouses and various public supplies.
The Yichun Prefecture's Mansion is actually divided into two parts. The front part is the government office, where Prefecture Lei and Yichun and other officials go on official business. The backyard is where Prefecture Lei and his family originally lived, and his treasure house was also built in the backyard.
When they set fire that night, they focused on the backyard of the prefectural government's residence, leaving the front yard unharmed.
The change of ownership of Yichun's main city occurred overnight, but because it happened so quickly, it didn't seem like much of a change to the local people, who accepted it with almost no resistance.
If there is any change, it is that there are more patrolmen in the main city than before, but these patrolmen do not disturb the people and will arrest scoundrels or people with suspicious behavior along the way.
This was also arranged by Yao Chunnuan and others, in order to ensure a smooth transition to the main city of Yichun, and also to prevent scoundrels from taking advantage of the chaos to harass and bully the people. Furthermore, the people felt that they did not disturb the people, mainly because the military discipline of the Yichun military settlement was very strict, one of which was to strictly prohibit burning, killing and looting in non-wartime.
The soldiers who can join the patrol team are all of decent character. They have no shortage of money when serving in the Yichun military settlement, and the treatment in the Yichun military settlement is famously good. Now the general has turned against them and taken over the Yichun city. In the future, they will conquer more and more territories. Seeing that their future is bright, they will naturally not do things that will destroy their future.
Seeing that their homes were safe and sound, and that everyone was staying at home peacefully with nothing else to do, didn't the common people start to have wild thoughts? Actually, it wasn't wild thoughts, but various speculations about the change of ownership of Yichun.
The main news was about the death of Governor Lei. Yao Chunnuan and others did not cover it up, and even deliberately controlled the direction of public opinion, which led to all kinds of rumors spreading like wildfire.
The people were privately discussing the fact that Lei Taishou had attempted to seize the Yichun military settlement, but had failed and ended up losing the main city of Yichun and his own life. They all felt that he had brought this upon himself. Many people believed this speculation, mainly because Lei Taishou had been acting too aggressively recently, repeatedly provoking and bullying the Yichun military settlement.
Some people are very happy with this result.
In Qiannan, Wang Lang's heart skipped a beat when he heard that two kings of different surnames had rebelled, one after the other. He quickly sent people to monitor the situation in Yichun. When he received word that Xing Changfeng had indeed rebelled, he felt an indescribable emotion, like the other shoe had finally dropped.
After completely controlling Yichun City, Xing Changfeng prepared to offer sacrifices to heaven on Dongyang Mountain the next day and announce the prepared manifesto to the world.
That night, they sent out invitations to all the powerful figures in Yichun, such as Marshal Zhu, Meng Chao, as well as some heads of aristocratic families and big businessmen.
Faced with the invitation from Yichun's new ruler, most of those who received it dared not refuse. Marshal Zhu was an exception; he didn't come. And Meng Chao didn't come either.
During the ceremony, a manifesto was read out to the public. This manifesto was jointly written by Yao Chunnuan and Yu Chen.
The manifesto first denounced the corrupt government, which exploited the people's wealth while not caring about their lives. It then detailed the mistreatment and grievances Xing Changfeng had endured at the hands of the court over the years, making the world understand just how deplorable the Daliang Dynasty truly was. It also made it clear that the rebellion was a last resort.
He went to the battlefield at the age of fifteen or sixteen, fighting foreign invaders in the northern border. Through hard work and a relentless determination to sacrifice his life, he rose from a small soldier to a general. However, just as he was about to be promoted, he was squeezed out and given the position by someone else. Transferred from the northern border, he led his troops and was kicked out to the Yichun military camp instead of the Yichun military camp.
The original Yichun military settlement had nothing but over one million mu of unproductive land. After a year of development, the settlement expanded, and the average yield of crops increased by 20% to 30% compared to previous years. They established various workshops, a military school, a medical center, a pharmaceutical production area, an essential oil workshop, and a daily chemical production area, bringing the settlers a relatively prosperous life.
At this time, the prefect Lei Penglei was eager to reap the benefits. First, he wanted to rob the genius doctor Bayuanba; then he repeatedly tried to use strategies and force to plunder the military settlement, and wanted to kill or kick out the general and the senior officials of the military settlement; later, with the support of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, he mobilized tens of thousands of troops to frame them and force them to hand over the Yichun military settlement. This was intolerable.
The story also interspersed with the miserable lives of two small people under the rule of Daliang, which was more down-to-earth and the people burst into tears after listening to it.
Finally, he said, "Rebellion was not our intention. We rebelled because Daliang was unjust."
This article is simply a pity play, but there are traces of this. General Xing did indeed suffer repeated injustice and mistreatment from the court. At the same time, it also secretly introduces the Yichun military settlement, which should make people yearn for it?
The release of Xing Changfeng's manifesto shocked the world. Rebellions by kings of different surnames had been a common occurrence since ancient times, but rebellions by generals were relatively rare. Unlike the two kings of different surnames who rebelled out of sheer ambition, Xing Changfeng's rebellion was arguably forced upon him. While some criticized his actions, many also sympathized with him.
The manifesto clearly stated that Prefect Lei had single-handedly driven Xing Changfeng and his men into rebellion, leading to the loss of Yichun City. This move, following the rebellion of two kings of different surnames, dealt a heavy blow to the precarious Daliang.
The Crown Prince, who hadn't left yet, immediately learned the contents of the manifesto and flew into a rage. "Traitors! They're all traitors!" Who in this world hasn't suffered some grievances? He, the Crown Prince, had suffered the same grievances? Why couldn't Xing Changfeng tolerate this?
After Xing Changfeng's manifesto spread throughout the world, countless generals who had been mistreated or thought they had been mistreated were eager to try, but they were all waiting. What were they waiting for? Naturally, the court's response.
However, these are still fermenting or brewing in the dark, so they can ignore them for the time being.
After offering sacrifices to the gods, they renamed the Taishou Mansion the City Lord's Mansion. Xing Changfeng relinquished the title of Champion General that Daliang had bestowed upon him and proclaimed himself the City Lord of Yichun.
Yao Chunnuan and others were extremely busy, because from now on, various systems, rewards and other matters would become the responsibilities of their shogunate.
All the soldiers and settlers who participated in this event were recognized for their contributions and were to be rewarded. Few people were privy to the rebellion, and those who knew the plan were all high-ranking officials or key figures in the settlements. The soldiers and settlers themselves were mostly complicit. While they were passive, they had at least taken such a risk with them. Many of them had made significant contributions, and rewards were necessary to stabilize the rear.
Besides these people, there are others. Being a traitor isn't easy. They risk their lives to serve you, offering you advice and fighting for you. Now that you've conquered your territory, you should reward them accordingly. Only by aligning their interests with your own will your subordinates continue to fight for you, and only then will everyone work together in the same direction.
Being mean and ungrateful is not an option. You can't let people take huge risks only to gain very little in the end. That's self-destructive. If you want people to work for you and want their loyalty, you must reward them accordingly. Let them see the hope of becoming a noble or a prime minister, having a wife and children blessed with wealth, and a bright future.
Furthermore, as a newly established force, they needed a major reward to boost morale and win the hearts of the soldiers and civilians. This time, the soldiers and residents of the military settlements would take the lion's share. Precisely because of this, the reward was even more necessary. Yao Chunnuan always believed that the military settlements were their foundation, the very foundation of their development.
In fact, she was not the only one busy. All the members of the shogunate and the generals were busy, crazy busy. Qi Yingshan was no exception. He had also made a contribution this time. After this reward, his status would rise significantly.
These days, Yao Chunnuan is so busy that she sleeps later than a cow and wakes up earlier than a chicken. Every night when she comes home, she drinks half a bowl of porridge to fill her stomach, takes a bath, and then goes to see the little guy Yao Xi before going to bed.
This night was no exception, but when she returned, she found that Yao's mother was still awake, as if she was waiting for her. Seeing her return, she quickly asked the servants to bring up the porridge that had been warmed.
At this moment, Yao's mother was sewing with needle and thread in her hands, and a little kid was sleeping beside her.
The lighting was not good, so Yao Chunnuan advised her to do less needlework at night. While they were talking, Yao Chunnuan couldn't help but go forward to look at her daughter.
"What's wrong?" My daughter's eyelashes were stuck together, and the area around her eyes looked a little red and swollen, as if she had been crying a lot?
"This little guy hasn't seen you for many days and misses you very much. He kept trying not to sleep tonight. In the end, because he was too sleepy but wanted to wait for you, he cried and finally fell asleep while crying." Mother Yao looked at him, feeling both angry and amused.
Yao Chunnuan picked her up with a distressed look, and even weighed her in his hands, "Let her sleep with me tonight."
Looking at her daughter with a gentle face under the light, Mother Yao looked dazed. The general of their military settlement had rebelled, and her daughter had been going out early and coming back late recently. She didn't expect that she was busy with such a big thing.
I heard that this time, the general, no, the city lord, would be rewarding all those who had made contributions to the military settlement. My daughter was already the third or fourth in command of the military settlement, and I heard that her achievements this time were not small. If she were to transfer over, wouldn't she become the third or fourth in command of all Yichun? For a moment, she was excited and proud!
Over dinner these past two days, her father-in-law had specifically urged them to keep a low profile, to be happy but not to act too ostentatiously. It seemed the reward was real.
After the Heavenly Sacrifice, the City Lord's Mansion also posted a notice regarding the closure of Yichun City and the imposition of martial law. The notice primarily informed the residents that the gates of Yichun City would be reopened in three days. Those wishing to leave the city were required to register in advance and could leave after the City Lord's Mansion confirmed that all was permitted.
The people were discussing this notice. Some wanted to leave, while others did not.
"If you want to leave, just go ahead. The City Lord's Mansion only closed the gates for four or five days before letting us ordinary people pass. This shows that they don't care about us at all. Don't dwell on how bad it is to stay in Yichun."
A tall and strong man immediately started shouting, "I won't leave. I've long been tired of being a citizen of Daliang State. This time I want to try being a citizen under the rule of the Lord of Xingcheng. My requirements are not high. I just want to live like those settlers in the Yichun military settlement."
"I'm not leaving either. Life now is no different from before. It's even better. At least the scoundrels in our city don't dare to show up anymore."
"Go, where can we go? There's a war going on in the northwest. Two kings of different surnames have rebelled. I guess the barbarians in the south can't stand it anymore. Not to mention the bandits everywhere, the Central Plains is full of war. Where can we find a safe place?"
The initially wavering commoners thought it made sense. If they went out and encountered bandits, their lives and property would be in danger. Besides, where else could they go? There was no safe place in this world. Furthermore, the Yichun military settlement leaders had been truly kind to the residents, and so many had gone to become settlers. Now that the people of Yichun were under their rule, life should improve soon, right?
Gu Bin sat in a nearby teahouse, sipping tea and listening to the discussions of the common people. He felt amused. These proxies spoke to the hearts of the common people. Furthermore, as far as he knew, the residents of the Yichun military settlement had been very active these days, chatting and chatting with their relatives and friends because of the upcoming rewards.
After the City Lord's Mansion's operation, he dared to say that in three days, there would be very few ordinary people leaving. As for those non-ordinary people who wanted to leave, could they really leave safely?
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