As Lu Xun once said, happy people are generally similar, while miserable lives are each unique in their own way.
What troubled Zhu Xiaosong was simply that the pace of territorial expansion was faster than expected, leading to a shortage of talent and manpower. However, what troubled Agui was not the kind of slightly blissful annoyance Zhu Xiaosong faced.
The existence of Zhu Xiaosong and Chen Tailai was like a butcher's cleaver hanging over Agui's head, and not just one, but two, both poised to fall at any moment.
Agui understood clearly that failing to eliminate Zhu Xiaosong and Chen Tailai for a while was no great matter. After all, during the prosperous age of my Qing Dynasty, there would always be those with too much time on their hands, clamoring to overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming. He was long accustomed to this. The real problem was if they continued to fail to eliminate Zhu Xiaosong and Chen Tailai, and worse, allowed them to grow stronger. That would be truly fatal.
After all, Fucha Mingxing was of the Ming restoration lineage. Even if someone had to take the blame for this matter in the end, it would be him, the imperial envoy Zhangjia, who would step forward first. It would never fall upon Fucha Mingxing, the Governor of Shandong.
The crucial point was that the flintlock guns Mingxing had purchased from the Westerners were delayed in their arrival.
The thought of the delayed flintlock guns made Agui's head ache. He couldn't help but urge Mingxing, "How much longer will it take for those flintlock guns to arrive? If I had known it would be this slow, we should have just bought a batch from actual Westerners."
Agui was anxious, and Mingxing was equally so. After all, these rebels had emerged in Shandong and had even instigated the White Lotus Society in Hubei and Tian Wu in Gansu, along with Lin Shuangwen of the Ryukyu Islands, to rebel. It was no exaggeration to say that the entire realm was shaken. As the Governor of Shandong, he could hardly escape responsibility.
But there was no alternative. These flintlock guns had to be manufactured by the Ministry of Works first, and then purchased from the Westerners. This back and forth process inevitably slowed things down.
Thinking this, Mingxing couldn't help but sigh and say, "Otherwise, shall we try finding some actual Westerners?"
However, before Agui could even agree, a scout from the Imperial Guard entered the main hall of the Jinan Governor's yamen. He first performed a kowtow to Agui and Mingxing, then pulled out a stack of papers from his怀 and handed them to Agui: "News from our brothers. Currently, people throughout the Deng-Lai region are spreading the articles of the rebel Zhu, especially in Laizhou and Yizhou. These so-called newspapers of Zhu have become the talk of the town among the local populace."
Agui unfolded the so-called newspaper and looked at it slowly. His heart trembled.
At the top right corner of this so-called newspaper were written the words "Menglianggu Weekly." Below that was a quote from the Analects: "Without Guan Zhong, I would be wailing with my arms crossed and my clothes tucked in."
The subsequent article was half dedicated to elaborating on the idea proposed by the pseudo-Confucian Hao Jing of the Jin Dynasty: "If one can employ scholars today and carry on the ways of China, then they are the rulers of China." The other half openly accused Emperor Yongzheng of altering Han Yu's "Original Way" in his "Great Righteousness Dispelling Confusion Record."
Another article followed, listing a series of events of my Qing Dynasty from beyond the pass to its entry into the heartland. It even unearthed incidents such as the old slave Nurhaci's massacre of Fuzhou and the capture of the starving people in Liaodong. It went on to enumerate events in Yangzhou, Jiading, Jiangyin, Jinan, Guangdong, Datong, Sichuan, and elsewhere, directly stating, "The slaughter reached nearly ten million, an unprecedented act of evil in history."
After reading these few articles, Agui wished he could immediately subject Zhu Xiaosong to the torture of a thousand cuts.
The article mentioning Guan Zhong was somewhat tolerable, but the later one enumerating the glorious deeds of the Jurchen barbarians could truly shake the world!
Others might not know the truth of this article, but Agui, as the Chief Grand Scholar of the Hall of Martial Valor, knew very well that the events described in that article neither deliberately slandered my Qing nor deliberately exaggerated the facts. It merely listed the "glorious deeds" of my Qing with almost ruthless brushstrokes, making it impossible to refute.
How could it be refuted?
The millions of wronged souls in Sichuan could still be blamed on Zhang Xianzhong, as a dead man would not speak. But what about the rest?
Did the Yangzhou Ten Days not happen? Did the Jiading Three Massacres not happen? Did the Datong Massacre not happen? Did the Guangdong Massacre not happen? Or was the rule of "keeping the hair but not the head" a fabrication?
There was no room for rebuttal!
Seeing Agui's hands tremble slightly, Mingxing couldn't help but ask, "What does that article say?"
Agui was startled back to his senses by Mingxing's voice. However, Agui had no time to answer Mingxing's question. Instead, he directly shouted, "Guards! Convey this imperial envoy's order: anyone daring to spread, read, or privately hoard the so-called newspapers of the rebel will be executed without mercy!"
Hearing Agui's command, Mingxing became even more curious and asked again, "May I ask, Imperial Envoy, what exactly did that rebel's newspaper write?"
Agui slumped back into his chair like an old dog with its bones removed. He weakly handed the newspaper to Mingxing: "Take a look yourself."
Mingxing took the newspaper and was also greatly alarmed upon seeing the glorious deeds of my Qing, exclaiming, "Since ancient times, have those who conquer the world never killed anyone? How can it be that my Qing alone cannot? My Qing has not erected ossuaries, which shows the benevolence of my Qing masters. This rebel Zhu is harping on about the massacres, which is simply unreasonable!"
If he hadn't heard Mingxing's nonsensical talk, it would have been better. But upon hearing this drivel, Agui was enraged and berated him with disappointment, "What use is it to tell me this? Will you tell the scholars of the world? Will you tell the common people of the world? Do you think they will believe you?"
Mingxing was rendered speechless.
How could he say such a thing? Everyone knew that the content of that article was true. Once it was spread, it would surely stir the memories and hatred of the Han scholars. But he was just babbling a couple of sentences, and you had to get so angry? If you have the ability, go and suppress Zhu Xiaosong! As long as the rebel Zhu can be suppressed, there would be no need to worry about newspapers or anything else.
Agui, naturally, thought of what Mingxing could also think of.
To put it bluntly, arresting and killing everyone who dared to spread, read, or hoard newspapers was useless. It was merely treating the symptoms and not the root cause.
To truly treat the root cause, Zhu Xiaosong, the rebel, had to be dealt with.
After careful consideration, Agui finally made up his mind: "This matter can no longer be delayed. Find a way to contact the real Westerners and quickly get a batch of flintlock guns. Not too many, just three to five thousand. If they can also transport the Hongyi cannons with exploding shells, do so quickly. If not, it's alright to be a bit late."
After Mingxing acknowledged, Agui summoned his personal guards and gave instructions: "Issue a decree for Fu Kang to divert his Green Standard Army to Jining and first suppress the rebel Zhu with me. Inform Fu Kang that the calamity of the rebel Zhu is ten thousand times worse than that of the Third Prince Zhu, Wu Sangui, the White Lotus Society, and the Heaven and Earth Society."
After the guards received the order and departed, Agui then said to the scout from the Imperial Guard, who had not yet left, "Find a way to get another copy of the newspaper and have it delivered to Master Fu. Inform Master Fu that Fu Kang cannot provide support for the time being and to hold out in Caozhou for now. If absolutely necessary, Master Fu can abandon Caozhou, and all responsibility will be borne by this imperial envoy."
Seeing Agui's frantic state, Mingxing couldn't help but ask, "Is it really that serious? Is the calamity of this rebel Zhu worse than Chen Tailai? Don't you know that Master Fu..."
Agui was instantly furious and pointed at Mingxing, scolding him, "Otherwise, why are you the Governor of Shandong, and I am the Imperial Envoy!"
"Although Chen Tailai can affect the transport of grain, that is the extent of his capabilities. If His Majesty were to truly become enraged and deploy the Eight Banners from beyond the pass to quell the rebellion, Chen Tailai could be pacified with a flick of the wrist."
"However, this newspaper created by Zhu Xiaosong is the true weapon that can shake the very foundations of my Qing. If not handled carefully, it could lead to a situation where the entire realm rebels!"
After scolding Mingxing, Agui reconsidered and felt that he couldn't just react passively. He then instructed Mingxing, "I will not be polite with you at this moment. We are in the same boat. Regardless of whether my surname is Zhangjia or yours is Fucha, if this rebel's newspaper is allowed to spread, it would be useless even if we both bore the surname Aisin Gioro!"
With Agui's words, Mingxing also became nervous and asked, "Then do you have any good ideas?"
Agui nodded and said, "Immediately send people to find skilled craftsmen. Since the rebel Zhu can produce newspapers, we can do the same."
"Since the rebel Zhu lists certain deeds of my Qing, we will list how the emperors of the late Ming were foolish, how the officialdom was corrupt, and how the people suffered. We will also list how the emperors of my Qing are diligent and love the people."
After thinking for a moment, Agui then whispered, "Have people fabricate some articles that seem plausible, stating how Minister He was greedy and lustful, and how Ji Xiaolan and Liu Luoguo outsmarted Minister He."
"Also, fabricate some stories about how His Majesty the Sage Ancestor and the current Emperor often made incognito tours. After all, both the Sage Emperor and the current Emperor are good emperors who love their people like their own children. It is believable that they often make incognito tours to punish corrupt officials and save the populace."
"Oh, and also fabricate some stories about Han women being favored by His Majesty the Sage Ancestor and the current Emperor, and rising to prominence."
Mingxing was somewhat stunned.
Let alone the fact that the intermarriage between Manchus and Han is a consistent iron rule of my Qing, even without this iron rule, the unauthorized fabrication of sensational stories about the Sage Ancestor and the current Emperor of my Qing is a crime punishable by death!
Thinking of this, Mingxing cautiously asked, "Does Imperial Envoy perhaps wish to reconsider?"
Agui let out a cold snort and said, "There's no time to reconsider! From here to the capital, even with the fastest express, it would take two days for a round trip. In two days, do you know how far these newspapers can spread?"
"The reason I asked you to find people to fabricate these articles is to completely muddy the waters."
"Hurry up and gather people. Do as I say. If there are any problems later, I will take responsibility myself. I will also write a memorial to His Majesty and Minister He to explain the situation."
Mingxing finally realized the seriousness of the matter. Without further delay, he cupped his hands to Agui and hurriedly went to gather his men.
While it was easy to find craftsmen who could produce newspapers, and easy to find people who could write articles, it was difficult to find people who dared to fabricate sensational stories about Kangxi and Qianlong. It was even more difficult to find craftsmen who dared to print them.
Mingxing looked at the group of poor, pedantic scholars and craftsmen with their eyes wide open and said angrily, "Do as I command! Anyone who dares to delay will have their nine generations of relatives exterminated!"
The threat of exterminating nine generations truly frightened these pedantic scholars and craftsmen. They had no choice but to comply with Mingxing's demands.
However, Mingxing had clearly overlooked one thing.
The "literary cleansing" of my Qing Dynasty had been ongoing for days, not just one or two. Who dared to freely fabricate sensational stories about Kangxi and Qianlong? Even if they did, most of them would be eulogies, failing to achieve the desired effect for Agui and Mingxing.
The articles fabricated by these pedantic scholars were so uninteresting that even Agui had no inclination to read them. To muddy the waters with them?
That was just wishful thinking!