allonlinenovel Chapter 517 Mobilization Order
Chapter 517 Mobilization Order
Chapter 517 Mobilization Order
Hezhou.
As usual, after dinner, Erheizi Wang Yue picked up the newly published "Hanshan Weekly" and started reading.
Wang Yue was now a household name in Hezhou Prefecture. A saying circulated among the people of Hezhou: "When Master Wang stamps his foot, the entire city of Hezhou trembles." Even the prefect of Hezhou had to greet Wang Yue with utmost respect.
Wang Yue's face grew increasingly grim. What on earth was wrong with my Great Ming Dynasty? Why was an honest official like the Principal imprisoned for crying foul?
"Bang!" After reading the article, Wang Yue angrily slammed his fist on the table.
"Ah? Husband, what's wrong?" Wang Yue's wife, Qiuju, asked hurriedly.
"Ahhh!" Wang Yue handed the Hanshan Weekly to Qiu Ju, letting her take a look.
Qiuju knew Wang Yue well and knew that her husband's condition must mean something serious had happened. Qiuju took the Hanshan Weekly and began to read it.
"I am Zhang Rong, Wang Wenzhou's wife, and also the editor-in-chief of Hanshan Weekly. Now I have some news to tell our readers: Wang Wenzhou, Lord Wang, the upright official known as Wang Qingtian by the people, is now imprisoned."
As a wife, no matter what kind of person my husband is, or whether he has broken the law, I will support him unconditionally. My sisters and I feel the same way.
But our husband, Wang Wenzhou, was unjustly imprisoned. There were some treacherous and wicked people who couldn't stand to see Wang Wenzhou doing well. As soon as he returned home from Korea, they accused him of colluding with foreign enemies and betraying his country for personal gain.
Many readers are unaware that Wang Wenzhou's mission to Korea was fraught with peril, teetering on the brink of death. He nearly perished in a shipwreck. By a stroke of luck, he survived, but he could not escape the slander of treacherous and wicked men!
Wang Wenzhou is now suffering greatly in prison, while we sisters weep outside. The Emperor, misled by treacherous officials, is determined to punish Wang Wenzhou for treason.
If the ruler commands the subject to die, the subject must die. If the father commands the son to die, the son must die. Wang Wenzhou, a loyal subject of the Ming Dynasty, was unjustly imprisoned, yet he had no complaints. But we sisters will not allow it!
We cannot lose our husbands, and our children cannot lose their father!
Now, my sisters and I are at our wits' end and have no other choice but to appeal to you, our readers. Please, for the sake of Wang Wenzhou's unwavering loyalty to the country and his countless lives dedicated to the Ming Dynasty, plead for his life, beg the Emperor to show mercy, and uphold justice, so that a loyal minister does not die unjustly and a villain does not gloat.
The above paragraph is the main text, which simply recounts Wang Wenzhou's wrongful imprisonment and calls on readers to seek justice for him.
However, the copy of the "Hanshan Weekly" that Wang Yue received was an internal version from the Hanshan faction. In addition to the main text, there were also orders.
"In order to secure Wang Wenzhou's release from prison, the following orders are hereby issued:"
First, all businesses affiliated with the Hanshan Group—Hanshan Supermarket, Hanshan Express, and Hanshan Bank—must cease operations immediately. If Wang Wenzhou is not released, they will never reopen. Publicly declare that this is a spontaneous action and has nothing to do with Wang Wenzhou.
Second, all security forces within the Hanshan Group should be immediately integrated into a force and await orders.
Third, organize the public to petition in Beijing. Specific details should be determined by each locality based on its own circumstances and capabilities.
Liu Rushi, Sheng Lan, Zhang Jiao, and Zhang Rong, thank you all for your tremendous help.
Although Zhu Youjian had nationalized Wang Wenzhou's three major industries in Hanshan, actual control remained with Wang Wenzhou. After all, apart from the high-ranking officials reappointed by Zhu Youjian, all the lower-level managers were from labor camps and were loyal only to Wang Wenzhou.
After reading the order, Qiuju asked, "Husband, what do you intend to do?"
"Ahhh!" Wang Yue quickly made several hand gestures.
Qiuju nodded and said, "I understand. Should we send our son to Hanshan first? That way, if something happens to us, someone will take care of him."
"Yes!" Wang Yue nodded.
The next day, the people of Hezhou suddenly discovered that Hanshan Supermarket had closed down.
This is a first for the young woman, and ever since the Hanshan Supermarket in Hezhou opened, it has always opened and closed on time, regardless of the weather—even in snowstorms or torrential rain. What's going on today?
Before noon, the people found their lives inconvenient. In the past, after breakfast, housewives would go to the supermarket to buy ingredients for the day and cook lunch at home.
But with the supermarkets closed, housewives suddenly had nowhere to buy groceries. Not only that, except for a few restaurants in Hezhou City that still had stock, almost all the restaurants announced their closure overnight.
The business owners aren't unwilling to make money; it's just that even the most skilled cook can't cook without ingredients. To ensure the quality of their dishes, all ingredients were purchased daily from the Hanshan supermarket and then delivered to their door by courier. Now that these two businesses are closed, where will they buy their ingredients?
These are all minor issues, since most ordinary people have stored grain in their homes, and they won't starve even if they don't eat out for a while.
The closure of Hanshan Bank was a major event. Rumors circulated that Hanshan banknotes would become worthless. This caused an uproar among the people.
Hanshan Bank has been open for over a year, and during this time, all the people have accepted banknotes. Compared to silver, banknotes are lighter, more convenient, and take up less space.
If the banknotes become worthless, the people will all become destitute. Therefore, many people gathered at the gate of the prefectural government office, demanding an explanation from the prefect.
Liu Hai, the prefect of Hezhou, was also completely bewildered. Overnight, Hezhou seemed to have undergone a dramatic change. He even felt that the yamen runners were no longer as obedient to his orders as before. Today, more than half of the yamen runners were absent from work.
Hezhou is very close to Hanshan, and many of the yamen runners in Hezhou are former labor camp workers. They have all received mobilization orders and are now on their way to Hanshan to report for duty.
This mobilization order for the labor camps was issued to those who had come from the labor camps.
The order was issued by Liu Rushi and Sheng Lan, mobilizing everyone to take up arms and protect Hanshan. As for the actual dangers of Hanshan, those who had come from labor camps didn't care. All they cared about was the order itself. Seeing Liu Rushi and Sheng Lan's names was like receiving a royal decree; many set off overnight.
……
Royal study room.
Zhu Youjian soon received urgent reports from various places. In their memorials, these local officials described the situation as one of extreme panic, as if a riot had broken out in their area.
Zhu Youjian picked up an urgent report from the magistrate of Miyun County, near the capital.
"Recently, dark clouds have been gathering over Miyun County, and I am filled with fear. I humbly request Your Majesty to send a large army to quell the rebellion. Everyone in Miyun County is living in fear. Of the shops in the county town, only one in ten are still open for business. The banknotes in the hands of the people are in danger of becoming worthless."
Some lawless individuals have been inciting the people to go to the capital to petition. I am powerless to stop them. As I write this memorial, over a thousand people are already on their way to the capital.
Zhu Youjian looked at the ministers before him and asked, "What do you all think of this matter?"
Qian Qianyi cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, have you read today's Hanshan Weekly?"
Zhu Youjian nodded and said, "Minister Qian, do you mean that this was done by Wang Wenzhou's wives and concubines?"
Qian Qianyi said coldly, "Your Majesty, the Hanshan Weekly you are looking at should be the public version. This old minister has an internal version here. After you have read it, you will understand that Wang Wenzhou's disloyal intentions are obvious."