It was just a manor. Even if they resisted violently, they could not withstand the siege of thousands of soldiers.
Judging from the reconnaissance, Wang Haoxian was obviously not ready for rebellion, and there was not a large number of people gathered in Shifokou.
"Lord Luo..." Zhou Tianbao approached and said respectfully, "At most, there are some guards in the Wang Family Manor, but they can't stop the siege of the soldiers."
Luo Yangxing nodded slightly and smiled, "Thank you, Lord Zhou, and all the brothers for your hard work in apprehending the traitor Wang Haoxian."
Zhou Tianbao grinned and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "Apprehending thieves and robbers is the duty of officers and soldiers. There is no need to talk about hard work. Of course, I and my men are extremely grateful for Lord Luo's kind words."
"Those who have made contributions will be rewarded. Lord Zhou, just rest assured." Luo Yangxing gestured with his hand, "Let's also go forward and supervise the team!"
"That's right." Zhou Tianbao followed closely, holding the knife in his hand, with a bit of majesty on his face.
………………
In the courtyard of Wangjiazhuang, Wang Haoxian was setting up a banquet to entertain several religious leaders from Northern Zhili.
At that time, Wang Haoxian had secretly contacted Xu Hongru of Shandong and planned to launch an uprising simultaneously in Jingzhou, Jizhou of Hebei and Yuncheng of Shandong on the Mid-Autumn Festival.
After Wang Sen's death, the Wenxiang Sect split into two branches. One branch was led by Xu Hongru and was active in Shandong; the other branch was led by Wang Haoxian and Yu Hongzhi and was active in Kaiyi and Jingzhou in Hebei.
Although they had agreed on a time, Wang Haoxian had other plans and was not prepared to act together with Xu Hongru and Yu Hongzhi.
He wanted to wait and see whether Xu Hongru and Yu Hongzhi's rebellion would be successful and whether it could create a trend, and then join in at the right time.
The leaders of Northern Zhili were all Wang Haoxian's confidants, so he had to keep them firmly under his control. Otherwise, when he started the rebellion, how could he show his strength to get a share of the spoils?
Even Yu Hongzhi, Wang Haoxian did not trust him very much, believing that Yu's strength was no less than his own and he might not be inferior to him for long.
Wang Haoxian hid in Shifokou and waited for more than nine months until the uprising of Xu Hongru and Yu Hongzhi failed, and then fled south with his wives, concubines, and children. He was truly a "shrewd and calculating" but also a coward.
As they were toasting each other, their faces flushed and their ears flushed, they suddenly heard a commotion. The sound grew louder and louder, not just commotion, but...
Wang Haoxian stood up, not quite surprised.
As for the local government, he had done a lot of things. Moreover, he had always been "law-abiding" and did not worry about the danger of sudden exposure.
By the time Wang Haoxian stepped out of the house, the guards had already come running in panic to report that the soldiers had climbed over the wall, opened the door, and rushed in.
Only then did Wang Haoxian feel fear and uneasiness in his heart.
When I looked up, I saw swords and guns flashing under the torches and lanterns. Groups of soldiers were driving and tying up servants and had surrounded us.
"That's the traitor Wang Haoxian." A county yamen runner pointed his finger and shouted.
Traitor?! Wang Haoxian's eyes widened. This label was put on him too suddenly.
"Catch Wang Haoxian."
"Don't let the rebels escape."
Before he could react, the officers and soldiers rushed up, howling like wolves smelling meat.
………………
The Wenxiang Sect and the White Lotus Sect have similar origins, or both originated from the earliest Manichaeism.
Zhu Youxiao didn't care about its origin or teachings, he just wanted to rebel and overthrow himself as the emperor.
Moreover, the White Lotus Sect seemed to be addicted to rebellion, rebelling against anyone they caught. From the Song Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, they never stopped.
Ever since Zhu Youxiao passed on the information about Xu Hongru's rebellion to the Ministry of War, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Eastern Depot, he has been thinking about getting a reward.
And just this morning, when he was having breakfast with Concubine Duan Chun, Sun Chengzong and Luo Sigong hurried into the palace to meet him with an urgent report.
Zhu Youxiao immediately guessed most of the answer, so he got up and rushed to the Palace of Heavenly Purity without even eating.
Returning to the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Zhu Youxiao waved his hand towards Sun Chengzong and Luo Sigong, who were bowing to him. "Sun Qing and Luo Qing, please excuse your formalities and go inside to report your report!"
Zhu Youxiao did not go to the main hall, but went straight into the imperial study, sat on the chair, and ordered the palace maids to move the embroidered cushion.
Sun Chengzong and Luo Sigong had no time to sit down. They looked at each other, and Luo Sigong stepped forward to present the urgent report, "Your Majesty, this is an urgent report sent from Luanzhou by the Pacification Office in the middle of the night."
Zhu Youxiao took it, unfolded it, and frowned. As expected, the Wenxiang Sect had indeed planned a rebellion.
Sun Chengzong stepped forward, bowed, and said, "I have already sent letters to Shandong and Northern Zhili, requesting that the garrisons there take immediate action, follow the map, and wipe out the rebellion."
Luo Sigong also continued, "The entire Pacification Division has also been dispatched to various locations to apprehend the rebels."
Zhu Youxiao nodded and said, "Wang Haoxian knows a lot about the Chuantou Sect in northern Zhili, but very little about Shandong. Therefore, I am worried that if Xu Hongru slips through the net, he might launch an attack prematurely."
"Sun Qing, the military preparations in Shandong are not optimistic." Zhu Youxiao turned to Sun Chengzong and reminded him, "It's better to mobilize more troops, just in case!"
Sun Chengzong thought for a moment and said, "The only nearby troops that can be mobilized are Dengzhen and Jinzhen. Northern Zhili should be able to handle it on its own."
"Then send a letter of mobilization, and act quickly." Zhu Youxiao turned to Luo Sigong and said, "It would be best if the Jinyiwei entering Shandong act in plain clothes. If Xu Hongru launches an attack early and is unable to arrest him, they can also lie in wait."
"I understand."
"Your humble servant obeys your order."
Sun Chengzong and Luo Sigong bowed and left after receiving the order.
It’s no wonder these two are anxious, this matter is really too big.
According to Wang Haoxian's confession, the rebellion was launched simultaneously in Jingzhou, Jizhou, Yuncheng, and possibly Ze County, as well as Gushi County of Runing Prefecture, Henan Province, all of which were places where the Wenxiang Sect had a strong influence.
Shandong's military readiness was also worrying, as the country had been at peace for so long that there was no general commander. More importantly, the grain transport system could not afford to fail, as it was the route for the imperial court's food and wages.
Yuncheng, there is Liangshan Marsh...
Zhu Youxiao read the urgent message again, but couldn't think of any other solutions for a while. He felt annoyed and threw the urgent message away.
Although the border troops were no match for the Eastern Tartars, the garrison troops had even weaker combat effectiveness and probably couldn't even defeat the peasants swinging hoes and sticks.
Moreover, it is not entirely true that the Wenxiang Sect was able to stir up a riot due to the ignorance of the common people and their fantasy of mountains of gold, silver and rice.
As I said, if everyone has enough food and drink and lives comfortably, who would risk their life to rebel?
Only when one lives a hard life and has resentment in his heart will he be more easily exploited by certain ambitious people, like Wang Haoxian and Xu Hongru.
Regardless of whether this internal turmoil can be settled at the lowest cost and in the shortest time, the alarm bell has been sounded and we must be cautious and on guard!
The Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty, is truly riddled with illness. With such a weak state, how could it possibly quickly wipe out the Eastern Tartars? It's simply wishful thinking.
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