usatvline Chapter 131 Old Yuan in Despair
Chapter 131 Old Yuan in Despair
After walking down four or five meters, and opening another iron door, a huge basement appeared before us.
The soldiers went forward and lit the torches on the wall. At a glance, the basement was two or three meters high and about one or two acres in size.
The shelves were filled with gold and silver treasures, all kinds of antiques, jade, gemstones, bronzes, and everything else.
As expected of the number one family in the world with a history of thousands of years, they are truly richer than a country!
"This is the legendary silver winter melon, isn't it?" Jiang Shan saw the silver nuggets displayed against the wall and walked over.
He picked one up and weighed it; it estimated to be over 100 jin (50 kg), just as the legend said, each one weighed 1,600 liang (500 kg). There were several hundred of these silver winter melons here.
There were also hundreds of smaller gold ingots, each worth a thousand taels.
He had lost count of how much wealth was hidden in that basement. He estimated it must be at least tens of millions of taels of silver!
Faced with such a large sum of money, Jiang Shan dared not harbor the slightest greed. He knew very well that such wealth was not something an ordinary person would dare to possess.
"Take them away, and interrogate the Kong family members separately to see if there are any other treasures."
After daybreak, a large number of carriages began transporting gold and silver out of the city. The docks outside the city were already full of boats, and the Sishui River had a considerable flow of water, making it much easier for them to move their goods.
Meanwhile, public trials of the Kong family began in the city. The Kong family's steward, head steward, guards, and others were all arrested and forced to kneel on a high platform.
The city's residents were mobilized to participate in the trial! A wave of indignation swept through the crowd, with people tearfully recounting the crimes committed by the Kong family. Jiang Shan, witnessing this, was deeply moved!
Unexpectedly, the Military Intelligence Department's proposal was so good that it has mobilized the enthusiasm of the people.
After a day-long trial, the vast majority of the Kong family members were sentenced to death. They were dragged away and beheaded on the spot. In an instant, heads rolled, and blood filled the air.
But instead of being afraid of such a bloody scene, the people cheered loudly.
Of course, some were wrongly accused, but there was no other way. The orders were given from above: the entire direct line of the Kong family must be eradicated. Jiang Shan had no choice but to issue the ruthless order.
However, given the sins committed by the Kong family over the past few centuries, it was only right that the entire family was exterminated.
After exterminating the Kong family, the rebels began distributing grain. However, the Kong family had so much grain that they couldn't possibly carry it all away. They had no choice but to distribute it to the common people.
Despite the commotion in Qufu, not a word was heard outside. This was because all roads leading out were guarded by the Military Intelligence Bureau, allowing entry but not exit.
It wasn't until three days later, with the help of the local people, that the rebel army withdrew after taking away the last of the Kong family's wealth and grain, and the entire Qufu was finally unblocked.
The Kong family was plundered and wiped out! This news spread rapidly throughout the land.
When Yuan Xiangcheng, who was feigning resistance in Jiaozhou, received the news, the imperial court also received a memorial from Yanzhou.
This news sent shockwaves throughout the land. Officials from all over submitted memorials demanding a thorough investigation of the murderer. At Shen Lian's instigation, Chang Le gathered a large number of censors to submit memorials impeaching Yuan Shikai.
Chang Le fabricated twenty major charges against Yuan Shikai. Not only was he accused of failing to pacify the region, leading to the extermination of the Kong family, but he was also accused of harboring treacherous intentions and amassing military power.
He even said in his memorial that the only person in Shandong who could mobilize a large army and empty the Kong family's coffers was Yuan Shikai. Perhaps he was the one who embezzled the funds.
Empress Dowager Cixi had long harbored resentment towards Yuan Shikai, and taking this opportunity, she forwarded the censor's impeachment memorial to all the governors and viceroys across the country, demanding that Yuan come to Beijing to explain.
"Damn it! Who exactly wiped out the Kong family? Go and find out right now!" In the Yanzhou government office, Yuan Xiangcheng grabbed a teacup and threw it on the ground with a bang, scattering tea and shards all over the floor.
"Yes, sir!" The officials, both high and low, hurriedly fled in panic.
At this moment, Yuan Xiangcheng had lost his usual composure; his once Buddha-like smiling face was now ashen. Sweat covered his forehead, streaming down his chubby cheeks.
Who could it be? Yuan Xiangcheng took a deep drag on his cigarette.
Shen Lian? It shouldn't be him! All his troops have been transferred to the capital, and they're still negotiating with the foreigners. Besides, he probably wouldn't have the guts to do that.
Could it be that his own newly formed army did it without his knowledge? Old Yuan shook his head. He was quite confident in his control; it was impossible for him to be unaware of the transfer of several thousand troops.
Could it really be the Boxers? But after our vigorous efforts, there are no large groups of Boxers left in Shandong!
Old Yuan slumped into a chair, his face filled with despair! It's over, it's really over!
However, no matter who did it, he can't escape responsibility, since he's the governor of Shandong now!
I secretly contacted various governors and viceroys this time and joined the Southeast Mutual Protection Pact, without going to the capital to defend the emperor. The court couldn't possibly be unaware of such a major event.
Now, Shen Lian has won the war in the capital and annihilated the allied forces of the foreign powers in one fell swoop. The prestige of the imperial court is unparalleled for the time being.
It's obvious to anyone with a brain that the imperial court will punish these disobedient governors and viceroys. Now that such a major incident has occurred in their jurisdiction, it would be strange if the court didn't make an example of them!
It's all that damned Shen Lian's fault. If he hadn't defeated the foreigners, I wouldn't be in this situation.
If the imperial court is defeated, with his tens of thousands of troops, the court will not only dare not deal with him, but will also rely on him and try to win him over. At that time, it would not be impossible for him to take control of Zhili.
Who the hell knew Shen Lian would show up?! Not only did he disrupt his plans, but he's now found himself in such a desperate situation. Yuan Xiangcheng was seething with hatred.
As for directly launching a rebellion, Yuan Shikai never even considered it. Given the current prestige of the imperial court, he didn't believe his subordinates would join him in rebellion.
Besides, Shen Lian's new army is so powerful that they even wiped out foreigners. Would wiping them out be a piece of cake?
Shen Lian ignored the political turmoil at court, focusing his energy on negotiations with foreigners.
Formal negotiations in public are fruitless; they always end in a noisy argument.
But the private talks have already been largely completed. As long as the Japanese are kept in the dark and continue their antics, they'll remain oblivious.
First, there's Germany. Shen Lian, representing the imperial court, promised to apologize. A high-ranking official of the rank of prince or above will be sent to Germany to apologize in person.
They also introduced German mining machinery, steelmaking equipment, and military factories. The orders were no less than ten million taels of silver to compensate Germany for its losses.
Britain granted the Qing government's forgiveness by procuring warships, cannons, and other equipment worth no less than six million taels of silver.
As for other countries, Shen Lian proposed a plan to connect Shandong to Beijing, as well as the Beijing-Shenyang Railway, to the Russian Far East Railway.
The Americans were the first to yield, actively lobbying other countries to help persuade them.