Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

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In other words, although Li Bing came from a prominent family in Shandong, he was now fearless and had nothing to lose.

So what if we offend the powerful families of Jiangxi?

I'm already in this state, so come and bite me!

"How is the situation?" Wei Liangchen went straight to the point.

Li Bing explained the situation: "During the land survey in Jiangxi Province, probably less than five counties conducted it thoroughly."

"The other prefectures and counties all have problems to varying degrees."

“After the three judicial departments came to investigate the case, I took the opportunity to re-inspect the fields in various places.”

"But the resistance was enormous. Although the prefectural and county officials were frightened into conducting a thorough investigation, the clerks found it difficult to carry out the work."

"Even the Emperor is furious, how dare those powerful clans cause trouble?" Wei Liangchen asked in surprise.

Li Bing said, "It's a complete mess. There are disputes every day when the land is measured. The land has changed hands countless times, and most of them can't produce a sales contract."

“When officials went to the countryside to survey the fields, fights broke out over the land, and some peasant women even committed suicide by jumping into the river on the spot.”

Wei Liangchen sneered: "It's probably just a coincidence that this is happening in one township or village."

"This is happening throughout the entire province; it would be strange if it weren't for powerful clans pulling the strings!"

Li Bing said, "Furthermore, too many Jiangxi officials are involved in the case and are being investigated by the three judicial departments for the past two months."

“Newly appointed officials are new to the job and have no trusted confidants, making them easy targets for perfunctory treatment.”

Wei Liangchen said, "We will start with the families confessed by the convicted officials. Once the crimes are confirmed, we will immediately arrest the people, confiscate their property, dismantle their clans, and relocate them."

“Regardless of whether anyone in their family holds an official position, arrest them all and dismantle their entire clan.”

"If we arrest one powerful clan in a county, we can intimidate the entire county, and then things will be much easier!"

“That’s what I thought too, which is why I secretly petitioned His Majesty to dismantle the clan,” Li Bing said.

Wei Liangchen pointed to the two flag officers behind him, who held a command flag and a gold medal: "I have this in my hand, which can mobilize the Jiangxi army."

Both flag bearers were appointed from among the palace guards.

One person carries a flag, and another carries a plaque, always following the governor, representing the emperor's presence.

Royal command flags were a feature only found in the Ming and Qing dynasties, appearing even more frequently than imperial swords—the Ming dynasty was relatively cautious and would not issue them lightly.

During the Qing Dynasty, this practice gradually spread, eventually becoming a common occurrence for every governor-general and viceroy, and the gold plaques were reduced to wooden plaques painted with gold lacquer.

For example, when Wang Yangming was sent to Jiangxi to suppress bandits, he found that he could not command the local army.

So he submitted a memorial requesting the king's command flag, and immediately no one dared to disobey. He could mobilize troops as he was told.

Li Bing, however, had never seen anything like it: "What is this?"

Chapter 3577 Royal Decree Flag

Wei Liangchen said, "The royal order for this flag was specifically set up for the major case in Jiangxi."

"It is equivalent to a troop mobilization document and a military tally."

"To think he wields such power!" Li Bing was utterly shocked; this would have been impossible in the Song Dynasty.

For ordinary troop deployments, a military tally alone is not enough; a troop deployment document stamped by the Ministry of War is also required.

The number of troops to be transferred and their purpose are clearly stated in the documents, and the transfer cannot exceed the limits stipulated in the troop transfer document.

The royal command flag was not only a combination of troop mobilization documents and military tallies, but also possessed extremely high authority to freely mobilize troops.

As long as it was during Wei Liangchen's term as governor, and as long as it was within the scope of Jiangxi Province, he could quickly mobilize troops and carry out tasks at will.

This kind of thing is usually not given out. If it is, it's a big deal, indicating that the area is in such a chaotic state that it's difficult to govern.

Li Bing then produced an unopened letter: "This was sent by the Duke of Gan, who asked me to pass it on to you."

Wei Liangchen quickly opened the letter and read it. He was overjoyed after reading it: "The Zhang family has agreed to cooperate with the clan's relocation, and the Duke of Gan will also help persuade other prominent clans in the same village."

"I am too inexperienced; the Chen family of Yimen could not persuade me, and the government could not measure the land properly either,"

Li Bing said,

"Perhaps if the governor goes, they will give him some face."

Wei Liangchen said, "The king's command flags are like the emperor himself. Even if they don't give His Majesty face, they will at least give the army some face!"

The Chen family of Yimen had already been demolished once by Wen Yanbo and Bao Zheng in the mid-Northern Song Dynasty.

At that time, they owned vast tracts of land in Jiangzhou (Jiujiang), and even had landholdings in other areas.

Leaving aside the fact that they were scattered across more than 70 prefectures and counties after being dismantled, let's talk about what happened before they were dismantled.

In the fourth year of the Qingli era alone, 403 members of the Yimen Chen clan, who lived in Jiangzhou, took the imperial examinations at once!

Li Bing cautioned, "The Chen clan of Yimen has been separated and migrated for a century, and those who remained in Jiangzhou have grown and prospered."

"Their estates and gardens have been restored to more than 200 sites. Each estate is like a village, and the head of the estate is appointed by the patriarch of the Chen family."

"If local officials want to collect taxes, they must personally visit them; otherwise, they can forget about collecting any grain tax."

"Most of the shops in the prefecture and county streets were also owned by the Chen family."

"There is also Shou'an Hall, which is dedicated to caring for elderly people living alone."

"There are also places that care for orphans and the disabled."

“These charitable places are open to anyone, even those not surnamed Chen.”

“The ancestral hall has a punishment hall. If a clansman commits a crime and is beaten to death, not only will there be no trouble, but the villagers will praise the family for its strict discipline.”

"All children in the clan, regardless of their wealth, can study for free."

"They also opened a clinic where clansmen could get medical treatment."

"There are also theaters, and you can watch a play every month."

"There is also a library, formerly known as the Imperial Library, which houses the calligraphy of the former Song emperors."

“Buddhist temples, Taoist temples, and shamanic shrines. Regardless of whether one believes in Buddhism, Taoism, or shamanism, clansmen are free to enter and exit.”

“Sacrificial rites are also managed by the family, so there is no need to trouble the government.”

Wei Liangchen was stunned after hearing this: "As expected of... the Chen family of Yimen!"

How can local officials manage such a large family?

No wonder even a dynasty as benevolent as the Northern Song Dynasty could be so ruthless as to forcibly dismantle and relocate the Chen clan of Yimen.

If left to develop unchecked, it will become a state within a state.

The local land was mostly occupied by the Chen family, who controlled not only their own clansmen but also their tenants.

This control is all-encompassing, from eating, drinking, and excretion to birth, aging, illness, and death, to reading, medical treatment, and even religious beliefs—all are handled by the elders of the Chen clan.

……

A few days later.

Wei Liangchen used the imperial edict to mobilize officials from the provincial, prefectural, and county levels in Nanchang City, and led a thousand garrison troops and five hundred transport troops by boat to De'an County.

The land controlled by the Yimen Chen family has spread throughout the counties of Jiujiang Prefecture, but the family headquarters remains in De'an.

The fleet had just turned into the river at Poyang Lake when the Yimen Chen clan received the news, and clan leader Chen Zongxian urgently convened a meeting of clan elders.

“A tall tree catches the wind,” Chen Zongxian sighed. “The governor is almost at the border of De’an County. It seems that my Yimen Chen family will be split up again.”

An elder said indignantly, "We can accept it if we are moved to another place."

"But this time we're going to Hunan, which is mostly undeveloped land, and we can't find many tenant farmers there."

"This isn't a migration; it's an exile of the entire clan!"

"that is,"

Another clan elder said, "Whether in the Tang or Song dynasties, our Yimen Chen clan has always been exempt from corvée labor and granted grain loans."

"But when we came to the Ming Dynasty, they insisted on merging the poll tax into the land tax."

"If the corvée tax is changed to be levied per mu (unit of land area), won't the majority of the corvée tax in Jiujiang Prefecture be paid by my Chen family?"

Another elder said, "Why must Jiangzhou be renamed Jiujiang Prefecture when it's perfectly fine?"

"The former magistrate even told us to demolish the punishment hall, saying that we should not abuse private punishments."

"My Chen family has strict family rules. What business is it of the government if we discipline our clansmen?"

Another clan elder said, "Chen Dong, the Left Censor-in-Chief, is a descendant of our Yimen Chen clan who migrated out."

"Why doesn't he speak up for his own side? He should at least offer some advice to the emperor!"

Chapter 3578 The Chen Clan

Everyone was complaining.

Chen Zongxian brought up the issue of dismantling the clan again, but the clan elders were unwilling to move.

They wanted to negotiate with the imperial court; they agreed to the dismantling of their clan and relocation, but not to go to Hunan.

Even if they go to Hunan, they should be near cities; they shouldn't be allowed to reclaim wasteland.

Moreover, just like the dismantling of clans during the Song Dynasty, whatever amount of land the government took from the ancestral home had to be exchanged for an equivalent value in the new location.

After a noisy commotion, the elders dispersed.

Clan chief Chen Zongxian sat in the hall with a worried expression. The government couldn't control the Yimen Chen clan, and he couldn't control the clan elders either.

Many of them were his elders!

Another day passed, and Wei Liangchen arrived with his troops.

Chen Zongxian led the clan elders to greet them, and they were somewhat worried when they saw the army.

But it was just a worry. The Chen family of Yimen was extremely prestigious. Would the governor really dare to use force?

"This old man, Chen Zongxian, pays his respects to Governor-General Wei." Chen Zongxian led the way in bowing.

Wei Liangchen smiled and returned the greeting: "I have long admired the esteemed Chen family of Yimen, and have come to pay my respects today."

Did they bring soldiers to visit?

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wei Liangchen said, "I've heard that the Chen family owns an Imperial Library?"

Chen Zongxian quickly replied, "It has been renamed Wanjuanlou."

Wei Liangchen then asked, "Are there many imperial calligraphy works by the former Song emperors enshrined in the building?"

Chen Zongxian said, "It is just a collection, not an offering."

Many prominent families possessed imperial edicts written by the previous emperor, which was not considered a crime.

Wei Liangchen brought this up merely to intimidate, gradually increasing the force of his words.

Wei Liangchen continued to ask, "The spring and autumn sacrifices should be conducted by the government."

Why did the Chen family of Yimen take on this task?

"Are you afraid the government can't afford the sacrificial expenses?"

Chen Zongxian explained, "It was inappropriate for all the previous county magistrates to entrust Chen with their affairs, and I will never do so again in the future."

"May I take a tour of this place?" Wei Liangchen asked.

Chen Zongxian said, "Governor Wei is a guest. He could stay here for a year, let alone just visit."

So, accompanied by a group of clan elders, Wei Liangchen wandered around with over a hundred followers.

After walking for a while, the clerk next to him came forward and whispered a few words to Wei Liangchen.

After hearing this, Wei Liangchen barged into a building, walked through the halls and rooms, and pointed inside, saying, "Is this the execution ground?"

Chen Zongxian said, "The former magistrate Liang said this matter was inappropriate, and my Chen family will no longer resort to private punishment."

"Why hasn't the plaque been changed?" Wei Liangchen pointed to the plaque with the three characters "Hall of Punishment" engraved on it.

Chen Zongxian said, "Before I could even do it, I immediately had someone remove it."

Wei Liangchen turned around and spread out his hands, and his attendant took out a copy of the "Great Ming Code".