Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne-Chapter 128 - 117 The Reason Why the Rebellion in Yangzhou Was Not Suppressed

Before the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, about ten to twenty years ago, there were quite a few rebels from the previous dynasty, along with some rebels who declared themselves emperors or kings.

Before establishing the Great Zhou, the late emperor, with his followers and sons, exterminated many of the rebels from the previous dynasty and other lawless factions. By the time the emperor ascended the throne, the rebels from the previous dynasty and the lawless factions were nearly wiped out.

Han Zhong escaped extermination by fleeing to Shu. As for Dong Jin, he hid like a rat in an unseen "gutter."

For these ten years, the emperor has been searching for Dong Jin and his accomplices, but they have always eluded capture.

Logically, such people like Dong Jin should be easy to find, yet they remain out of reach. The emperor suspects someone intentionally shielding them, making them impossible to locate.

Although the Great Zhou Dynasty has been established for over ten years and has largely recovered the fragmented territories from the previous dynasty, its authority has not fully reached all the states.

Yangzhou has always been the richest region in Jiangnan. Here, there are many wealthy merchants, centuries-old noble families, and scholars.

Although these officials pledged allegiance to the Great Zhou Dynasty, they have not truly submitted to it. Yangzhou is far from the capital, beyond the emperor’s reach, and these people collude with each other to conceal certain matters from the court, and even resist it.

It is only natural for these people to deliberately conceal Dong Jin’s whereabouts from the court or protect him on purpose. Or perhaps they are cooperating with Dong Jin to oppose the court.

The emperor has long been aware of the situation in Yangzhou, but since Yangzhou is too far from the capital, and the noble families there are no less influential than those in the capital, it is not easy to take action against them. Moreover, to pull one hair is to move the whole body.

To deal with these "local tyrants" in Yangzhou requires patience and a fatal blow. The emperor never imagined eliminating these wealthy merchants and noble families of Yangzhou at once; it is unrealistic.

These wealthy merchants and noble families have existed for hundreds of years and wield massive influence. Though exploited by the previous Emperor Xia Ling, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Wiping them out in one hit is impossible.

At the end of last year, the emperor received secret information that Dong Jin was in Yangzhou and that it was the noble families of Yangzhou who were hiding him. He began planning and arranging everything, purposefully sending Xie Shi to Yangzhou to suppress the chaos.

He anticipated that Xie Shi’s mission to quell the rebellion in Yangzhou would not be smooth, as the wealthy merchants and noble families would secretly hinder Xie Shi’s efforts.

Sending Xie Shi to Yangzhou was but a façade, a probe into the wealthy merchants and noble families of Yangzhou. Of course, it also served as bait to lure out Dong Jin.

Once Dong Jin is drawn out, the court can use him as an excuse to clean up the "local tyrants" of Yangzhou. Although it might not deliver a fatal blow, it can strike them hard enough to deter them from opposing the court and to submit obediently.

The most crucial reason is that the court must thoroughly capture Yangzhou. Thus, Yangzhou’s grain, salt, and iron mines can be completely controlled by the court.

Currently, these resources in Yangzhou are controlled by wealthy merchants and noble families. They intentionally conceal from the court, each time offering just a little to appease the court.

Once Yangzhou is fully captured, the emperor will send officials from the capital to govern Yangzhou. At present, the officials in Yangzhou are mostly descendants of noble families, meaning the entire bureaucracy of Yangzhou is controlled by noble families.

The situation in Yangzhou is extremely complex; without careful planning and arrangement, dealing with these wealthy merchants and noble families is impossible.

For the late emperor and the emperor, who were born peasants, they most detest the noble families. From ancient times, noble families have dominated the bureaucracy with their powerful influence. They have no choice but to collaborate with these noble families, yet must pretend to cooperate with them.

On his deathbed, the late emperor repeatedly instructed the emperor to suppress the arrogance of the noble families, ensuring they could no longer dictate the fate of the Great Zhou, and allowing common-born individuals to enter the bureaucracy.

To allow common-born individuals into the bureaucracy and break the monopoly of the noble families, the late emperor had the Li Family establish the Imperial College.

The Imperial College is open to scholars from all over the world, regardless of background. As long as they are talented, they can study at the Imperial College. Those who excel at the Imperial College can enter the bureaucracy.

The Imperial College has been established for over ten years and has, so far, supplied some common-born individuals to the court. Although the influence of these common-born individuals cannot yet rival that of the noble families, the late emperor and the emperor believe that once they grow stronger, they will be able to resist the noble families.

New novel chapters are published on fr(e)ew𝒆bnov(e)l.com