Chapter 1331: Demolition and Relocation! (Monthly Tickets, Come On!)

In the autumn of 1668 by the Western calendar, the land of China was filled with joy and celebration!

On the Ming side, there were names on the golden list (for the Crown Princess selection) and candles in the bridal chamber — two of life's three great joys in one stroke, truly a cause for congratulation.

On the Shun side, the military-farm households encountered life's third great joy — the demolition and relocation of their old homes!

They tore down the old houses in Sichuan and moved everyone to Burma to live in new houses with irrigated land, and every single household was allotted at least 50 mu of irrigated land or 150 mu of dry land!

From the summer of the first year of the Shun's Dongxing era, apart from the two commanderies of Xifan and Chuanbian, whose subordinate garrison militias had not organized or mobilized their military-farm households for relocation, every garrison militia command under the military governors of Sichuan (the Shun imitated the Tang system, using military governors to administer the regions) was busy with the same task — mobilizing for demolition and relocation!

According to the edict issued in early June by the Shun's Dongxing Emperor, Li Laiheng, all military governor commands in Sichuan (except Xifan and Chuanbian) had to complete relocation preparations for their subordinate garrison militias by the end of July. All military households had to be organized into marching formations by garrison militia unit! And men, women, old, and young were not to be mixed together — they were to be divided into separate able-bodied men's camps, women's camps, children's camps, and elderly camps.

The able-bodied men's camps were responsible for transporting goods and baggage, the women's camps for handling low-intensity combat during the march, the children's camps for looking after the children, and the elderly camps for caring for the old.

Of course, the strongest and fittest able-bodied men from the military-farm households under these garrison militias had long since been conscripted into the ranks, defending the Shun realm that was hanging by a thread.

And mobilizing and organizing their families for a collective move to Burma was, in fact, also meant to let them "set their minds at ease" about fighting.

But the Shun's military-farm households not only supplied warriors — they also sustained the Shun dynasty's grassroots government. The Shun dynasty practiced a militarized rule founded on the military-farm system, governing the people through the army; the armed force of the military-farm households was the very foundation on which local government depended. Once the military-farm households left the villages and towns at the grassroots and withdrew into the prefectural and county walled cities where the garrison militias were based, it meant the disappearance of the Shun's grassroots government.

And the military-farm families about to leave the countryside knew that once they left, they would probably never come back! And they would also have to face all manner of unknown hardships. So to cope with those unknown hardships, the military-farm families all wanted to squeeze and plunder as much as they could before leaving.

Grain, farm tools, livestock, cloth, and other goods were the key targets of the military-farm households' plundering and requisitioning — and these very items were also the lifeblood of the Sichuan peasant farmers!

Who would willingly hand over their lifeblood? And hand it over to roving bandits who were about to run away? So the resistance of the Sichuan peasants became especially fierce in the late summer and early autumn of the first year of Dongxing.

"Your Majesty! Eight garrison militias in Chengdu Prefecture have reported popular uprisings. Among them, the garrison militias of Mianzhu and Deyang reported uprisings on a very large scale — the rebels number in the tens of thousands, and they are even clamoring to 'welcome the Ming King, divide the land, and open the civil examinations.' A portion of the rebels have also gone up Mount Lutou, occupying the mountain stronghold to resist the imperial troops!"

"Your Majesty! The Shiquan garrison militia of Long'an Prefecture reports that White Lotus cultists have risen in revolt, gathering several thousand to attack Shiquan county town. They were routed by the garrison troops and have retreated to Baicaoba. The Long'an military governor command has already mobilized 3,000 garrison troops to encircle and suppress them."

"Your Majesty! The Baoding Prefecture military governor command reports that the White Lotus cultists entrenched at Mount Dajian have broken out in force. In Jianzhou, Cangxi, Bureau Director, Nanjiang, and other places, rioters and cultists alike have risen in response. The Baoning military governor command has already mobilized 8,000 garrison troops, pursuing and suppressing the cultists along the way while putting down the rebel bands everywhere!"

"Your Majesty! The Kuizhou Prefecture military governor command reports that White Lotus cultists have risen in revolt in Dazhou, attacking the military governor command headquarters and falsely claiming that remnant Ming troops had arrived, triggering a panic. The military-farm families gathered inside Dazhou city all scrambled to flee, and the city was nearly seized by the cultists. As of the twenty-fifth day of the seventh month, fighting inside Dazhou city has still not ended."

"Your Majesty! The Luzhou Prefecture military governor command reports that on the twenty-third, twenty-fourth, and twenty-fifth, there was great chaos throughout its territory, with rioters rising everywhere and White Lotus cultists seizing the opportunity to make trouble. Remnant Ming troops in Zunyi Prefecture and Guizhou Province have also launched large-scale attacks."

"Your Majesty! The Xuzhou Prefecture military governor command reports that in recent days there have been popular uprisings throughout its jurisdiction."

In the golden throne hall on Mount Wuhua, Gao Yigong, Minister of the Shun dynasty's Bureau of Military Affairs, was listlessly reporting the popular uprisings across the realm to the Dongxing Son of Heaven.

Listening to one piece of bad news after another, the veins on Li Laiheng's forehead throbbed violently — a frightening sight, as if his head might explode at any moment. The deliberative princes and ministers below all hung their heads in dejection, silent, merely listening to Gao Yigong's report of bad tidings.

At last Li Laiheng reached the limit of his endurance. He roared: "Enough! Say no more!"

The sheer volume of it startled every civil and military official in the court. At Li Laiheng's station, one was expected to observe at least some of the dignity of a sovereign — to speak with grace and to conduct oneself with magnanimity. How could one shout and yell at the slightest provocation? That was the manner of mountain bandits and common outlaws; the Son of Heaven of the Shun could not behave so!

Li Laiheng's bellow instantly cast yet another thick layer of shadow over hearts already shrouded in dark clouds.

The Dongxing Son of Heaven, seized by waves of dizziness, pressed his temples and turned his gaze toward Liu Wenxiu and Song Xiance — only to be disappointed to see that these two chief strategists of the Shun dynasty both wore expressions of utter helplessness.

Liu Wenxiu gently shook his head at Li Laiheng: "Your Majesty, there is no way."

Song Xiance said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, the military-farm households everywhere are withdrawing, and the petty villains and cultists who had been suppressed are seizing the chance to rise. But these petty villains will amount to nothing. The true threat to our great southern campaign is that the remnant Ming bandit army will advance in force!"

The "great southern campaign" he spoke of was, of course, the great enterprise of demolition and relocation to Burma!

The Shun Celestial Dynasty would not flee — it was merely changing location to continue the offensive. The current offensive against the Ming had already achieved a stage victory, dealing a heavy blow to the remnant Ming feudal dynasty, and so now it could victoriously redeploy to Burma.

Once the redeployment was complete, the Shun Celestial Dynasty would make striking at the feudal forces of India its primary task!

Song Xiance continued: "The best course for now is still to steady the hearts of the people in Sichuan. Otherwise, once the remnant Ming's great army swarms in, I fear the situation in Sichuan will become unmanageable!"

"Hmph!" Li Laiheng's brows shot up, and he simply stared at Song Xiance, waiting for him to produce that method of steadying the people's hearts. But Song Xiance's words stopped halfway and went no further. The great hall fell silent.

Everyone fixed their gaze on Li Laiheng. The Dongxing Son of Heaven knew perfectly well what these deliberative princes and high ministers of the Shun meant!

For the present, only Li Laiheng personally leading a campaign to Chongqing Prefecture could somewhat steady the wavering hearts of the people.

But the question was: would his personal campaign to Chongqing Prefecture even do any good? If the Emperor personally took the field and was defeated, would the Shun dynasty simply collapse?

Moreover, Xuzhou and Luzhou behind Chongqing were both unstable. If some major incident broke out and cut off Chongqing Prefecture's rear, would Li Laiheng not be left dumbfounded?

He had no desire to become a deceased emperor yet! The laboring masses of India were still waiting for him to come and save them!

And so, in the court, sovereign and ministers simply looked at one another, each fully aware of the situation yet feigning ignorance.

At that very moment, a Bureau Secretary from the Bureau of Military Affairs strode hurriedly into the great hall. Sensing that the atmosphere was off and that no one was speaking, he thought he had walked into the wrong place. He looked carefully, confirmed that it was indeed the golden throne hall, and only then quietly sidled over to Gao Yigong, Minister of the Bureau of Military Affairs, and handed him a slip of paper.

Gao Yigong took the slip, narrowed his eyes to read it, and his already gloomy face instantly showed an expression of alarm.

"Minister Gao, what has happened?" Li Laiheng asked.

"Your Majesty, the remnant Ming bandit Emperor Zhu has announced that he will personally lead a campaign against Kuizhou Prefecture."

The city of Yong'an, seat of Kuizhou Prefecture, had already changed hands in mid-July. Although it was only a burned-out empty city, its political significance was enormous.

For Yong'an had been the Shun's first capital after entering Sichuan! Back when Li Zicheng was still playing dead, he had established his capital at Yong'an, which had greatly steadied the hearts of the Shun army.

So Yong'an was the beginning of the Shun's victory in Sichuan, and now the fall of Yong'an seemed to presage the beginning of the Shun's defeat!

Li Laiheng sighed: "We will personally take the field. We will go to Chongqing Prefecture to take command!"

(End of Chapter)