Zhu Jinsong ultimately couldn't make it to Qiongzhou because Zeng Cheng and the other big shots who remained in the capital couldn't hold on any longer.
It wasn't a big deal for the Emperor to go out and have some fun; Emperors throughout history enjoyed this. As long as they didn't torment the people to death like that damned old Qian Long, and if there weren't too many troublesome issues in the local officialdom, the Emperor's occasional tours could actually be a good thing.
However, for the dignified Emperor of Great Ming to abandon a pile of state affairs in the court and go out to play, even with the Grand Secretariat, the Six Ministries, and the Five Commanderies as his laborers, and with swift horses relaying documents so that official business wouldn't be delayed, it was still a bit too much to be gallivanting for over half a year, having visited all the places he wanted to see, and not returning to the capital. It was becoming truly inexcusable.
Furthermore, the annual "Little Broken Pot Conference" was about to convene again. If the Emperor of Great Ming wasn't in the capital, who would host Louis XVI and Washington?
Didn't His Majesty need to discuss Great Ming's interests with them?
Therefore, Zeng Cheng and the other big shots, feeling somewhat overwhelmed, began to urge Zhu Jinsong to return to the capital as soon as possible, at least before Louis XVI and Washington arrived – because planning how to "con" them needed to be discussed in advance, lest the deception be exposed.
But Zhu Jinsong hadn't expected this. Things were fine when he traveled from Fengyang to Chengdu, and also fine when he went from Chengdu to Guangzhou. However, trouble arose when he went from Guiyang to Ningdu Prefecture!
This was how it happened: Zhu Jinsong was sitting in his carriage, processing memorial from the capital, when suddenly a cannon shot rang out. This was followed by shouts of "Guard the Emperor!" and "Be on alert!" from outside the carriage, and then the sound of scattered horse hooves galloping away in various directions.
The shouts of "Guard the Emperor!" and "Be on alert!" were normal procedures, as were the scattered horse hooves, because some people were sent to investigate the situation, while others were sent to notify the Imperial Guards following behind and the local garrisons to come and escort the Emperor.
But the question was, where did the cannon fire come from!
Listening to the rumbling cannon fire in the distance, Zhu Jinsong's eyes were filled with confusion and disbelief.
Jiangxi Provincial Administration and Judicial Commission, one of the eighteen Han provinces, had been under Great Ming's control for nearly ten years. The Governor of Jiangxi reported in last year's summary memorial that Jiangxi had favorable weather and timely rainfall, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard's summary memorial stated that Jiangxi was peaceful and prosperous. Favorable weather and timely rainfall amidst cannon fire?
And it was broad daylight!
Was there truly a battle taking place in broad daylight, under the clear sky and bright sun?
But to say that the Jiangxi Governor and the Jiangxi Commander jointly fabricated this, and also roped in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Heavenly and Earth Society, the Eastern Depot, the Farmers' Association, and the Censorate, seemed a bit too far-fetched.
However, before Zhu Jinsong could figure out what was going on, Zhang Dequan knelt down with a thud and said, "Your Majesty, this servant will immediately send people to investigate. If anyone dares to deceive Your Majesty, this servant will personally flay them alive and then commit suicide to atone for my sins!"
Ke Zhiming, who had been following by the carriage, also rushed in and knelt, saying, "Please Your Majesty alight from the carriage temporarily. This guilty minister will go and investigate this matter. If I cannot clarify it, I will present my head!"
Zhu Jinsong, however, angrily said, "Silence! Get out of here!"
Ke Zhiming was the overt head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and Zhang Dequan was the current Director of the Eastern Depot. In this situation, their first thoughts were to beg for forgiveness and then get to the bottom of the problem.
After scolding Ke Zhiming and Zhang Dequan, Zhu Jinsong pricked up his ears and listened carefully. When the first cannon shot rang out, Zhu Jinsong was a bit stunned, but after he recovered his senses, he realized that the subsequent cannon fire sounded off.
The cannon fire was not from the artillery currently equipped by the Great Ming army, but from what used to be called the Type 82 artillery. The characteristic of this cannon was its loud sound but small power; its sound was crisper than that of the currently equipped artillery.
Or, to put it in simpler terms: these cannons were sold by the Menglianggu rebellion group to other rebels for profit before they had fully occupied Shandong. The proportion of saltpeter in these cannonballs was deliberately increased, which, while making the explosion louder and crisper, also reduced the lifespan of the cannon barrels. In short, it was a product full of flaws, purely an export item designed to swindle money.
After listening carefully for a while, Zhu Jinsong sneered and said, "All of you, go and investigate! Also, send someone to prepare My Emperor's ceremonial procession."
Upon receiving Zhu Jinsong's command, Zhang Dequan immediately left the carriage and arranged for people to prepare the Emperor's ceremonial procession, while Ke Zhiming began to arrange for people to investigate the source of the cannon fire.
The final investigation results were largely as Zhu Jinsong had guessed.
Two villages, neither large nor small, due to grudges accumulated over a hundred years, had started a conflict. Before submitting to Great Ming, they had secretly stored a considerable amount of firearms, cannons, and grenades. Even more outrageously, the Farmers' Association guards of both villages had directly brought out the grenades and firearms allocated to them. xxs壹贰
The village farmers' associations were turned into command posts by the guards, the village veterinarians were conscripted as military doctors, the women handled cooking and logistics, and blacksmiths and carpenters joined forces to produce homemade flintlock guns and rudimentary cannons. As for spears and sabers, there were plenty. The two villages and the open ground between them were turned into a battlefield.
Local government officials?
The local government knew nothing. Both sides very tacitly kept the matter contained within the two villages; neither notified the government, and the surrounding villages, mostly of the same surname or clan, also tacitly refrained from reporting anything.
Local garrison?
The local garrisons of Great Ming were always hiding in mountain ravines. Except for disaster relief or military orders, they usually stayed far away from the places where people lived. After all, the military's firepower was stronger. If they were too close to the common people, it wouldn't only affect the common people's lives but also might lead to jokes about using cannons to pluck a cabbage if a stray cannonball went off course during training.
Of course, a bigger joke had now emerged – the Emperor of Great Ming was almost caught in this "war."
Even Ke Zhiming, who rushed back to report after figuring out the situation, was sweating profusely. "Two villages, Xingping Village primarily composed of the Zhang family, and Xingan Village primarily composed of the Li family. The animosity between the two families has lasted for over a hundred years. This time, it all erupted because a woman from Xingping Village eloped with a young man from Xingan Village. Xingping Village demanded the person from Xingan Village, but Xingan Village couldn't produce them, and the matter escalated bit by bit."
"Currently, it has been tallied that over two thousand young men have been mobilized from the two villages, with over a thousand women and children as well. A total of eight Type 82 cannons have been used, with over 160 cannonballs fired, two thousand flintlock guns, fifty thousand bullets, and approximately over ten thousand grenades."
"There are still many items that haven't been tallied. The Imperial Guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guard have begun searching and tallying. All the residents of Xingping Village and Xingan Village have been controlled by the Imperial Guards."
"Just as the Imperial Guards were taking control of them, they were shouting for the Imperial Guards not to interfere in their affairs, and that they only needed to prepare to collect the bodies afterward, as they had no intention of rebelling."
Upon receiving this news, Zhu Jinsong didn't know what to say.
He had calculated everything, but Zhu Jinsong had never expected such a possibility. After resolving all the rebels, big and small, Zhu Jinsong had ordered the confiscation of civilian cannons and grenades, while allowing civilians to possess flintlock guns for self-defense or hunting.
And now, after confiscating for so many years, the two villages alone had yielded eight cannons, over 160 cannonballs, and over ten thousand grenades?
This was enough firepower for a small battle, you scoundrel!
With their firepower intensity, if Zhu Jinsong hadn't immediately realized something was wrong upon hearing the cannon fire, and if Ke Zhiming and the others hadn't immediately dispatched the Imperial Guards and local garrisons to suppress them after understanding the situation, these people might have engaged in artillery duels, decapitation and counter-decapitation, ambushes and counter-ambushes, mine warfare and counter-mine warfare, and at least a thousand deaths would be considered a small number!
After sorting out the messy issues, Zhu Jinsong couldn't help but rub his forehead and ordered, "Let's go, prepare the Emperor's ceremonial procession, and go see what's really going on."
The young men from both villages were already bound with their hands behind their backs, and the women and children from both villages were separated by the Imperial Guards. The members of the Farmers' Association guards at the front of the crowd were still glaring at each other, completely disregarding the Imperial Guards.
Some of them were still arrogantly shouting, "You waited for them to leave, didn't you? If we don't beat the shit out of your Ping Village this time, then we've defecated cleanly!"
The people from Xingan Village were equally defiant, "After they leave, our Xingan Village will sooner or later cripple your Xingping Village!"
It wasn't until Zhu Jinsong's Emperor's ceremonial procession arrived that these young men, who were still hostile to each other, quieted down.
The villagers of Xingping Village and Xingan Village did not recognize Zhu Jinsong as the Emperor of Great Ming, nor did they recognize the imperial ceremonial procession. However, everyone knew what the five-clawed golden dragon robe worn by Zhu Jinsong represented.
After Zhu Jinsong dismounted from the imperial carriage, the villagers of Xingping Village and Xingan Village all knelt down. Zhu Jinsong, however, walked directly to the two leading young men, kicked each of them to the ground, and then asked, "I ask you, what is the purpose of the Farmers' Association?"
The two young men dared not speak. After being kicked, they struggled to kneel again and then said in a low voice, "To champion the cause of the people. If the government violates the laws of Great Ming, local farmers' associations are to organize the people to resist taxes and levies, and escort corrupt officials to the capital for trial. Also, to mediate neighborly relations, ensure harmony among neighbors, and avoid fights. Also..."
"Enough!"
Zhu Jinsong's anger turned into a smile. He directly interrupted the young man's words and then said, "Your Xingping Village and Xingan Village are quite capable. You secretly stored cannons and cannonballs, and engaged in artillery duels. Your Farmers' Associations didn't stop you, but instead took the lead in bringing out grenades and firing guns? What are you trying to do?"
One of the young men looked up foolishly, his face full of grievance, and cried, "Your Majesty, we didn't intend to rebel, we just..."
Zhu Jinsong became even angrier, pointing at the young man and shouting, "Just what? You didn't intend to rebel, but you two villages engaged in artillery duels. If I hadn't happened to pass by here, and if the Imperial Guards hadn't arrived early, blood would have flowed here!"
"You scoundrels, do you think fighting with cannons is very imposing? But look behind you, behind you are your parents, wives, and children, you rascals!"
"Also, what is the crime of possessing cannons in secret? Who hid them? If you have the courage to do it, you must have the courage to stand out and tell me!"
As Zhu Jinsong's words fell, one elder from each of Xingping Village and Xingan Village stepped forward, and in unison said, "It was I who made the decision to hide them!"
After speaking, the two of them glared at each other again. The elder from Xingping Village preemptively called out, "Your Majesty, the matter of secretly hiding cannons was my decision. When the world was just settling down, the government wanted to confiscate cannons. I feared there might be some reversals, so I decided to secretly hide some. Later, I wanted to hand them over, but I was afraid of being questioned by the government, so I continued to hide them. Your Majesty may punish me alone, and it has nothing to do with anyone else."
The elder from Xingan Village also chimed in, "Me too! I will bear all the criminal responsibility!"
Zhu Jinsong, however, let out a cold laugh and looked at the two elders, saying, "Two elders, I respect you a foot, but you try to deceive me a yard? You are treating me like a fool!"