Even in Tang Tong's heart, he still had some respect for Emperor Chongzhen. At least, no emperor in history was as hardworking as Chongzhen. The Yongzheng Emperor of the Jiannu people, who was praised by later generations, was actually no match for Emperor Chongzhen. It can only be said that it was fate and time. Emperor Chongzhen was really unlucky. At the same time, it was also a great disaster for Chinese civilization. Even if such a hardworking emperor came out, he could not change this disaster.
Tang Tong knew in his heart that he could not accept Emperor Chongzhen's offer of amnesty unless he could control everything about Emperor Chongzhen. However, Emperor Chongzhen, as the biggest representative of the landlord class, had too many landlord forces supporting him. If Tang Tong did not wage a war to change the dynasty, it would be impossible for him to evolve with the emperor. Those landlord class forces would keep popping up like lingering evil spirits, which would bring Tang Tong a lot of trouble.
Therefore, it was very difficult for Tang Tong to control Emperor Chongzhen. Even if Emperor Chongzhen himself was willing to be manipulated by Tang Tong, the landlord class would create many troubles in the name of Emperor Chongzhen. In this situation, Tang Tong could only say sorry to Emperor Chongzhen in his heart. If the landlord class was not wiped out by force, Chinese civilization would not be able to develop rapidly, and even Tang Tong's own life and property would not be guaranteed.
Tian Yi stayed in Leiming City for many days. He tried very hard to develop a better friendship with Tang Tong, hoping to get the imperial edict out at a safer time. However, Tian later found that something was wrong. Although Tang Tong was still as enthusiastic about him as before, he always avoided him with the excuse of being busy.
He was not a fool. He understood it as soon as he thought about it. With such a great power in Tang Tong's hands, it was impossible for him to plant intelligence personnel in the capital. Judging from Tang Tong's attitude, Tang Tong should have avoided him after obtaining those intelligences because he was unwilling to accept the reward from Emperor Chongzhen. After Tian understood all this, he smiled bitterly in his heart.
A person like Tian naturally had no idea of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism. He was of course more concerned about the interests of his Tian family. The reason why he still hoped that Tang Tong could accept the reward from Emperor Chongzhen was because his Tian family was a royal relative, and this identity was very important to his Tian family. If Tang Tong accepted the reward from Emperor Chongzhen, then to a certain extent, the family could still be maintained, and his Tian family's status as a royal relative could also be maintained.
At this time, the Jiannu, who posed a great threat to the Ming Dynasty, has been destroyed. Although the rebel forces are also very powerful and have half-surrounded the capital, as long as Tang Tong accepts the court's amnesty, those rebels will be nothing. If Tang Tong does not accept the reward from Emperor Chongzhen, then the biggest threat to the Ming Dynasty will be Tang Tong. Almost everyone with a little knowledge will know that there will be no big problem for Tang Tong to replace the Ming Dynasty.
Although the Tian family and the Tang family are old friends, once Tang Tong replaces the Ming Dynasty court, it is impossible for their Tian family to have such a glorious life again, unless Tian has a sister who can become Tang Tong's woman and is favored by Tang Tong. Otherwise, relying solely on the relationship of old friendship, it is impossible for the Tian family to have any great power.
Tian thought for a while and finally saw Tang Tong again. At this time, Tian could no longer think about what was safe and sound. He took Tang Tong's hand and said, "Brother, where do you get so much trouble? I want to find you but I can never see you. How about we chat in the morning?"
"Haha, Old Tian, how can I not feel good now? This is such a big business. You should know it even if I don't tell you. There are tens of millions of people here. I have to arrange everything for them. How can you, Old Tian, be so free? How come you have a great time here these days?" Tang Tong's status could not be compared with Tian before, so he could only be polite to Tian. Now Tang Tong's status has reversed with Tian. Tang Tong can call him so affectionately. Tian couldn't help but be angry. In his heart, he was grateful that Tang Tong could treat him with such an attitude.
"Brother, I know it even if you don't say it. You are not busy at all, you are obviously hiding from me. Let me tell you clearly tomorrow. What do you think about the Zheng family accepting the emperor's bestowal?" When Tian said the question he wanted to ask, he still took a detour to test Tang Tong's reaction first.
"What do I have to say about what you said? The Zheng family is the Zheng family, and the Tang family is the Tang family. How can I control what Zheng Zhilong wants to do? Am I not living a very free life now?" Tang Tong knew what Tian wanted to ask, so he expressed his meaning very tactfully. If Emperor Chongzhen and others did not want to tear their faces, Tang Tong did not want to tear off this layer of window paper for the time being. Tang Tong's goal was to consume the territory he had occupied while slowly eroding the strength of the Ming Dynasty. In this way, he might pay less price and save the lives of Han people.
"Hey, brother, to be honest, I'm here with the emperor's order. This is a chance for you to bring honor to your family. Don't you want to cherish it?" Tian sighed, still trying his best. For the people of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty court was the orthodox status. Ordinary people were given the title of king, which was indeed a chance to bring honor to their family. However, Tang Tong was not one of those ordinary people. Tang Tong's current position was equal to that of Emperor Chongzhen.
"Okay, Lao Tian, let's not talk about these anymore. What's the point of bringing honor to the ancestors? It's nothing more than a round of amnesty. Lao Tian, after all these days, haven't you seen that my place is very similar to the Ming Dynasty? The Ming Dynasty was not the world of those big landlords, but the world of businessmen. What I represent now is not myself. I still have a large group of people under me. Their interests are inconsistent with the interests of big landlords like you, Lao Tian. If I accept the amnesty, not to mention whether I can have a good end in the future, even my... "Some of my subordinates will also leave me because their interests are damaged. Let me tell you the truth, Old Tian. If your emperor represents only himself, then his recruitment is no big deal. I don't care about the throne. If he represents all the landlords of the Ming Dynasty, and those merchants, for their own interests, there will eventually be huge conflicts. This contradiction cannot be reconciled without force. Old Tian, do you understand?" Tang Tong said a lot of words, clearly telling Tian his position.
Although Tang Tong did not drag his words out and told Tian his position directly, Tian did not understand Tang Tong's theories. Although Tian was not stupid and was very good at scheming, he had never read the "Call to Arms" newspaper run by Tang Tong, so he did not understand why there were irreconcilable contradictions between landlords and businessmen.
"I can't understand what you said, but I still know what you mean, brother. Are you really determined to rebel against the court and become a sinner who will be cursed by future generations forever?" Tian looked at Tang Tong leisurely holding the teacup and gently blowing the hot steam on the surface of the water in the cup. He could only ask this question in disappointment.
Tang Tong gently closed the lid of the teacup, looking at Tian's expression, thinking that from the Han people's point of view, the Ming Dynasty's acquisition of the country was really due to the uprising of the rebel army. For every Han person, the uprising of Zhu Yuanzhang and others was definitely one of the most righteous acts in the history of the Han people. His own actions could indeed be called rebellion. However, history has always been written by the victors, and it is the losers who are cursed by future generations. Tian knew this. When he said this, it seemed that he also understood his own interests. Unfortunately, this was a contradiction between two classes. Even if he wanted to let Chongzhen go, it would not work. Since he had promoted the development of productivity, the contradiction between the two classes would become even greater.
Tang Tong sighed slightly, put down the teacup in his hand and said, "Old Tian, even if this is an act of rebellion, even if I am cursed by future generations, the arrow is already on the string and cannot be unshot. As long as you stay in the capital, you don't know the development situation of this world. If I don't stand up and let merchants become the dominant force in this land, then a hundred years later, we Han people will be oppressed by those Western powers. You may not understand what I am saying at all, but I still have to tell you that I do this so that our Chinese civilization can stand forever in this world and become the dominant force in this world, rather than waiting until others become powerful and then be oppressed by them. The Ming Empire is already corrupt, and the landlord class has become the greatest scourge of its development. Tell me, which is more important, the interests of all Han people or the interests of that small group of landlords? I will not accept the amnesty, because I can guarantee that the safety of the Ming emperor and his family will not be a concern."
Tian's eyebrows twitched a few times. What Tang Tong said, if it were in the territory of the Ming Dynasty, it would be a serious crime of deceiving the emperor and rebelling against the superiors. But here, what Tang Tong said represented the imperial edict of this territory. Tian also knew that Tang Tong's last guarantee was not an empty promise. Tang Tong did have the strength in his hands. Strength determines everything.
Touching the imperial edict in his arms, he knew he would never have to take it out again. Tian had witnessed Tang Tong's immense power in Daming City and could see his childhood friend would only grow stronger. This seemed unstoppable. This time, Tian truly sighed, dismissed his men, and stood up, somewhat dazed, wondering what would become of him and his Tian family. (To be continued. To learn more, please log in for more chapters. Support the author!)
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