Chapter 40 4. Wang Zhu hammered Ahema

After Kublai Khan seized the position of Khan, on the one hand, he wanted to conquer Brother Alibu and consolidate his Khan position; on the other hand, he also wanted to destroy the Southern Song Dynasty, complete the unfinished business of Genghis Khan and Meng Ge, and realize that he surpassed his grandfather Temujin Ideal performance.All of these need to be guaranteed by a strong material foundation, and it is necessary to continuously tap financial resources to provide him with inexhaustible power to launch the war machine. Therefore, in the eyes of Kublai Khan, whoever can collect more money for the empire is the real "" Loyal minister".At this time, Ahema came into being and stepped onto the stage of history.

As a matter of fact, Kublai Khan, as a promising monarch who governed the country with Han Chinese law, was edified and influenced by Han Confucianism. He also knew that at the beginning of the founding of the country, the people needed to recuperate.He himself hated the greedy and greedy people very much in the early days, and caused trouble because he opposed the "Gookao Qiangu" of the left prime minister Alan Da'er under his brother Emperor "Xianzong" Mengge Khan.Thanks to the planning of Yao Shu and other Han staff, he saved himself from danger.But the position has changed, and the thinking has changed accordingly.Kublai Khan sat on the throne of the Great Khan. With the expansion of the country and the continuation of the war, the old aversion to excessive expropriation was gradually replaced by his love for gold and silver.The Great Yuan Dynasty really needed money so much.

Ahema is a native of Feinakhte from the country of Khwarazm (now Tashkent).In his youth, he attached himself to the father of Queen Chabi of Kublai Khan, and was able to become a courtier under the Queen's Ordo.In the third year of Kublai Khan's central reunification (1262), Ahema began to be reused, "leading the left and right parts of the Zhongshu, and serving as a transit envoy for various routes", and was in charge of financial affairs. After entering Kublai Khan's field of vision, Ahema did a lot.He designed various plans for Yuan Shizu to search for people's wealth, such as cleaning up accounts, monopolizing patents, and issuing banknotes indiscriminately.Not only did he accumulate a lot of wealth for Kublai Khan, but he also accumulated a lot of wealth himself, which aroused strong opposition from Han Confucians.

But in Kublai Khan's eyes, Ahema was a celebrity.In the third year of Zhongtong, Kublai Khan appointed him to deal with financial and taxation matters. In the first year of Zhiyuan (1264), Kublai Khan worshiped Ahema as Zhongshu Pingzhang; two years later, Kublai Khan It was decreed to appoint Ahema Yizhongshu Pingzhang to serve as both political affairs and envoy, and all the financial power of the whole country was concentrated in his hands. The official was promoted quickly, and Ahema had more and more ideas. He would play gold and silver at one time, and at another time he would propose to prohibit the local people in Taiyuan from cooking and selling salt for profit, which won Kublai Khan's favor.Kublai Khan once said with emotion to others: "The husband and prime minister, who will know tomorrow, observe geography, do human affairs, and combine these three, are competent. Ali Hague, Mai Shuding, etc., are also not suitable for prime ministers. Ahema is worthy Ren Chancellor."

Under the monopoly of power, Ahema became more and more arrogant and greedy, collaborating with the treacherous party Hao Zhen, Geng Ren and others, bribed internally, demonstrated and punished externally, cut off dissidents, and did whatever he wanted.Qin Changqing of the Suwei Intermediate Military Academy of the Yuan Court was well aware of Ahema's treachery, so he wrote a letter exposing his treachery, saying that he "forbids dissent, Du Sai's loyal words, his feelings are like Qin Zhaogao's; It's like Dong Zhuo of the Han Dynasty."As a result, he was falsely accused by Ahema, arrested and imprisoned, and tortured to death.

Ahema gained momentum, and wanted to dismiss Yushitai and other Taoist officials, and it was Lian Xixian who faced court disputes before he dismissed the discussion; later, there was a proposal to add Jiangnan officials, and they all arranged for his nephew to be the head. Cui Bin, the courtier, was annoyed, and he participated in a book, saying that he set up officials to harm the people, and he wanted money everywhere, which was unjust.Ahema fabricated a crime, falsely claiming that he had stolen 400,000 shi of official food, and actually arrested Cui Bin and others, put him in prison, and sentenced him to death.

Crown Prince Zhenjin heard that Cui Bin and others had been convicted of death, and hurriedly dispatched a horse to stop it, but it was too late.After hearing the report, Prince Zhenjin slammed his fist on the table and said angrily: "It is tolerable and unbearable! It seems that it is impossible to do nothing!" Zhang Yi, the deputy envoy of the Privy Council, saw that the prince was like this, so he said: "His Royal Highness, calm down, I think you should bear it a little longer. As the saying goes, thirty years in Hedong, thirty years in Hexi. Now the emperor regards him as a celebrity. But the ministers think that , Ahema's monopolizing power and deceiving the country, relying on power wildly, extorting violently, and everyone knows about his corruption and perverting the law. It's just because the emperor relies too much on him, and he is temporarily blinded by him. Once the emperor sees his true face, I think, the emperor must He will be punished."

Zhen Jin said excitedly: "No, no, as the crown prince of a country, how can I tolerate such a treacherous minister who takes power and misuses the country? The emperor loves him very much, and Prime Minister An Tong's repeated words have no effect. It is impossible for the court to remove him. To solve this problem, I think extraordinary measures must be taken.” Of course, Zhang Yi understood what this "extraordinary measure" meant, so he quickly knelt down on the ground and said, "His Royal Highness, please calm down. Your Highness must not take this matter personally. If your Highness has made up his mind and trusts you, I will take care of myself." Go through fire and water to fulfill His Highness' wish."

"Hey, if I don't believe you, how can I talk to you about this!" Zhen Jin quickly pulled Zhang Yi up and said, "Okay, then you should find a few more reliable people below to implement it, and it's best to do it cleanly." Point. Although we are eliminating harm for the country, it is better to be safe, just in case..." "If something goes wrong, you must not come forward, I will fight with all my blood!" "Don't do this, Ahema's bastard is not worthy of your death for him!" As he said, Zhenjin's eyes became moist, "I just want to get rid of the traitor as soon as possible, to purify the king's side, and to relieve the suffering of the people and the common people. The pain of suffering, less let loyal and upright people like Qin Changqing and Cui Bin be framed by him..."

"Your Highness, just listen to my good news!" Let's say that Zhang Yi returned home from the prince and thought over and over again that this matter was a crime of disobedience.Killing an official ordered by the court without permission would have to kill the whole family, let alone the emperor's favorite minister, his God of Wealth.Therefore, those who participate in this matter must be willing to disregard their own wealth and life, so as not to worry about the future.Who can help me? Zhang Yi weighed and thought, back and forth, until the middle of the night.Suddenly, he slapped his thigh and said excitedly: "Yes! It is him, and he must be the one to complete this task!"

He was talking about Wang Zhu. It turned out that two years ago, Zhang Yi was ordered to work in Shandong, and he got to know the work of Qianhu Wangzhu in Yidu (now Qingzhou).His upright temperament and his ancient chivalrous demeanor made them hit it off, and soon they became close friends.This king's work makes a copper hammer so superb that it can hit no matter where it is pointed.What's even more strange is that his copper hammer is hidden in his sleeve. If it is not revealed on purpose, it is difficult for ordinary people to see that he has a weapon hidden. "Yes, it's him!" Zhang Yi was extremely excited, and he set off overnight to search for Wang Zhu in Yidu, Shandong. Seeing that Zhang Yi didn't bring any entourage, Wang Zhu disguised himself and knew something was wrong, so he hurriedly let him into the secret room and asked, "Why is Prime Minister Zhang so nervous?" Zhang Yi understood Wang Zhu's temperament, seeing him asking such a question, he went straight to the point: "I want to get rid of adultery, I wonder if Brother Wang can help me?" Wang Zhu sternly said: "If it is to eliminate traitors, my Wang is willing to go through fire and water for brother Zhang, and I will not hesitate to do so! I don't know which traitor minister I want to eliminate?" "Ahma!" "It turns out that this is the case, then I will be more useful. My king wishes to fight with one head to eliminate harm for the country and benefit the people!" Zhang Yi said: "This matter must be discussed in the long term, and we must not act recklessly. Once it is unsuccessful, many loyal officials and good generals will be involved, and even the crown prince will be involved. Therefore, we must plan carefully and be foolproof before we can do anything .Once you do it, you will succeed in one fell swoop!" After a long time of deliberation, they all felt that it was the most appropriate and surest thing to do during the emperor's northern tour. "However, relying on my own strength alone, I'm afraid that the tiger will lose to a pack of wolves. It would be better to have some helpers." Zhang Yi said: "This is easy to handle. I met a warlock named Gao Monk. He knows some magical arts and can use ghosts as soldiers to defeat any enemy. We can use him. Let me find a chance for you to meet him. After getting to know each other, we will choose an opportunity to act.” "Okay! Then wait for brother Zhang's good news." Wang Zuoyi said. Zhang Yi rushed back to Dadu overnight and told Prince Zhenjin about their plan.Zhenjin asked: "This matter is no small matter, we must plan carefully and succeed in one fell swoop. Otherwise, Ahema will startle the snake, and it will be even more difficult to get rid of it!" "It won't happen again, Your Highness the Crown Prince!" He paused and said, "However, Your Highness the Crown Prince, I think it's better for me to transfer Wang Zhu and Senior Monk to Dadu, so that it will be easier to discuss. , They will not attract the special attention of the guards when they enter and leave the Zhongshu Province." "Well, you can do this. Remember, you must act carefully." "Yes, please rest assured, Your Highness!" Soon, Wang Zhu was transferred to Dadu and became the guardian of the prince's capital. Monk Gao also came to Dadu. Through the practice of magic, he attracted many people around him, and was appointed by Kublai Khan as the post of Pingzhang in the tent. Everything is ready, just waiting for hands-on. In March, it was still cold and cold in Dadu, but according to the usual practice, Kublai Khan would leave Dadu for a tour of Shangdu, and all the officials staying in Beijing would go to the gate of the palace to see him off. Zhen Jin found Zhang Yi among the officials and wanted to ask him about his preparations.Kublai Khan asked the crown prince to sit with him in the elephant chariot, but he didn't have time to elaborate, he just made a downward chopping gesture with his outstretched right hand, and Zhang Yi nodded knowingly. "To kill Ahema, you must first transfer him out of the Zhongshu Province. As long as he leaves the Zhongshu Province, Brother Wang, you can see the opportunity and kill him with one blow." Zhang Yi said. After seeing off Kublai Khan's guard of honor, Zhang Yi, Wang Zhu and Gao Monk sat together again. "However, how can we divert the tiger away from the mountain?" Monk Gao said: "Hehe, it's simple, it's my old profession. We just lied that His Royal Highness is going back to Beijing to do Buddhist work, and let Ahema go out of the city to meet him, wouldn't we be able to catch him?" Zhang Yi said: "This method is very good! But we have to make two plans. If he goes out of the city obediently, it means that he is destined to do so, needless to say. I think Ahema is old and cunning, and he will not be easily fooled. Once he What should we do if we don’t leave the city?” "This is also easy to handle. Then you say that there was a mutiny in the capital, and you led the troops into the East Palace of Zhongshu Province. You said that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has returned, and asked to open the city gate, kill the general to enter, and kill Ahema. You are the deputy envoy of the Privy Council. , and Wang Zhu is the guardian of the prince's capital, I think it shouldn't be difficult to trick the city gate into opening." "Okay, let's do it like this!" Zhang Yi and Wang Zhu said in unison. In March of Yangchun, the metropolis is lush green.Accompanied by the sunset, Ahema traveled alone to the Garden of Zhongshu Province. After nightfall, the metropolis fell into silence. A group of "Prince" guards of honor in golden-roofed sedan chairs came straight to the east gate of the capital. Under the lantern torch, real gold dressed in golden royal robes sat in the sedan chair. The bell on the Bell and Drum Tower had just struck three quarters, when two monks held "palace lanterns" and conveyed the prince's order, asking Zhongshu Sheng to arrange fast meals and offerings. Unfortunately, one of the prince's guards was present and questioned them.The two fake monks soon showed their feet and were arrested.However, Ahema should be killed. These guards did not report to Ahema, nor did they conduct any further investigations. They just stepped up their guard. Seeing that this move did not work, Wang Zhu sent Chief Cui to correct the decree, falsely claiming that there was an incident in the capital, and asked Zhang Yi, the deputy envoy of the Privy Council, to send some troops and gather them in front of the East Palace. Zhang Yi also felt that he had to come forward at this time, so he pretended that the situation was serious, and ordered the commander Yan Yi to lead the troops, and at the same time sent envoys to recruit all the officials in Beijing, saying that the crown prince has orders, and all officials are asked to wait at the palace forward. Ahema has been prime minister for more than twenty years, domineering and domineering, and has made many enemies, so he is always very careful, when he goes out, he is surrounded by no less than a hundred guards, and when he enters, the guards are waiting, his sword never leaves his body.Moreover, in order to prevent accidents, the sleeping place is often changed.Seeing the envoy's summons today, I am half-believing and half-doubting.The prince can't afford it!He thought about it for a while, and just to be on the safe side, he sent Zhongshu Provincial official Yousi Lang Zhong Tuohuanchaer and other dozens of riders out of the customs, and traveled north for more than ten miles to check for movement. Not far away, I met the prince's guard of honor. "Where is the crown prince?" Tuo Huancha'er asked. "it's here……" Tuohuan Cha'er hurried to the prince's chariot, dismounted and bowed to plead guilty. The sergeant pretending to be the prince scolded him for being rude, and asked him to answer why he hadn't come to welcome him so late. It's good that the prince doesn't speak, but when he speaks, he shows his feet.As soon as Tuo Huancha'er heard that the accent was not the prince's, he raised his head to check, and at a glance he saw that it was fake, he turned around and jumped on the horse, shouting: "Someone is fake..." Before he could say the word "Fake", he said "Fake". He was beaten with a hammer by Wang Zhu until his brains burst out, and all the rest of the people were killed. Wang Zhu put away the copper hammer and led the guard of honor straight into Jiande Gate.At the second drum of the night, the defenders did not dare to interrogate them, so they went straight to the East Palace. Ahema and the others panicked. They didn't expect the prince to come all the way to the palace gate, so they led the officials from Zhongshu Province in front of them and ran out to greet him. They ran to the prince's chariot, bowed and stood in wait: "Old Minister Ahema led the officials from Zhongshu Province to meet him..." This time, the fake prince didn't dare to speak, he didn't know what to do. Seeing that there was no movement in the sedan chair, Ahema was suspicious, Wang Zhu stretched out his hand and pulled him over, hit his head with a hammer, and said: "You have sucked too much oil, it's better to let it out!" In an instant, bursting brains and black red blood spilled over a large piece of platform stone in front of the sedan chair, and Ahema's fat body collapsed like a wall. Then, Wang Zhu approached Hao Zhen who was still in shock.Hao Zhen is Ahhema's best friend, and he has been in cahoots with Ahema these years and has done many bad things.Without a word of nonsense, Wang raised the hammer and dropped it, and Hao Zhen also collapsed beside Ahema.When the officials saw it badly, they were in chaos.The Privy Council, Yushitai, and the left-behind officials all watched from a distance, not knowing what happened.At this time, Shangshu Zhang Jiusi opened the door and shouted: "This is a bandit instigating chaos. Where is the real crown prince? Where are the guards? Hurry up and wipe out the rebel bandits!" Everyone suddenly realized that they stayed behind in Budun and killed the fake prince with a single shot. All together, Wang Zhu's men scattered and fled in all directions, but how could they escape from the forbidden area?Soon after, he was captured alive. Monk Gao escaped by chance, but Wang Zhu dropped the copper hammer, laughed, and was caught by the guards. Most of them were in chaos, and Zhongcheng also jumped on the horse first, and played Kublai Khan. At that time, Kublai Khan was stationed in Chachanaoer, not far from above.Hearing that his "God of Wealth" favorite, Ahema, was killed, he was furious, and ordered the deputy envoy Po Luo and others to fly to Dadu to arrest the criminal; Although martial law was already in most of the city at that time, when they heard that Wang Zhu and others were going to be killed, the people rushed out of their homes and rushed to the execution ground to send this hero who dared to kill the traitor.When Wang Zhu was about to be executed, he shouted: "Wang Zhu is killing the world, and he is dead now! There will be someone who will write about it for me in the future, and my death is enough!" What made Kublai Khan even more unexpected was that after the news of Ahema's killing came out, the soldiers and civilians in the metropolis competed to drink wine, sing and drink to celebrate, and the Yanjing wine market was empty in three days.This prompted Kublai Khan to seriously think about the intriguing connotations. After Ahema's death, Kublai Khan still didn't understand his various evils, so he ordered Zhongshu Sheng not to track down his wife and son.When he knew about Ahema's crimes, he said angrily: "It is indeed right for Wang Zhu to kill him." So he ordered the grave to be dug and the coffin opened, the corpses were beheaded outside the Tongxuan Gate, and the royal hounds were released to eat them all. Ahema's meat.The court officials and scholars and common people gathered to watch and clapped their hands.Ahema's nephews and nephews were also killed, and his family and property were confiscated.One of his concubines was named Yinzhu. When he searched her belongings, he got two cooked human skins in the cabinet. The ears and noses were well preserved. He also found witchcraft and prophecy. Kublai Khan was very angry about this and ordered Peel the participants in public. Soon, Kublai Khan ordered Prince Zhenjin to take part in the government.Zhenjin advocated the reorganization of the Zhongshu Province, and Li Huosun, a descendant of the Mongolian Yuanxun, served as the right prime minister and presided over the government. Then, Zhenjin summoned Confucian officials from the Han Dynasty.In just a few days, Zhenjin lost no time and changed course.