Episode 3
During the turbulent Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, the struggle for imperial power and family interests intertwined into a complex historical picture.When Emperor Jiajing stepped into Prince Yu's Mansion and saw his grandson, the long-indifferent family affection in his heart was reawakened.With a wave of his hand, he rewarded Concubine Li with a hundred thousand pieces of silk, and even had an unprecedented vegetarian meal at Prince Yu's Mansion. This series of actions showed his deep affection for the emperor's grandson.
Behind this tenderness, the struggle for power never stops.Yan Song, the powerful prime minister, took this opportunity to deliver Hu Zongxian's memorial to Emperor Jiajing through Lu Fang, intending to test the emperor's attitude.He tried to consolidate his position through this move, and at the same time secretly observed Emperor Jiajing's reaction.
At the same time, Yan Song's son Yan Shifan was even more eager for quick success.He privately rejected Hu Zongxian's memorial and conspired with Zheng Michang and He Maocai to use the Dragon Boat Festival flood season to dig open the gates of the dikes in nine counties of Xin'an River in an attempt to annex the victims' fields at a low price by destroying the dikes and flooding the fields.Once this plan is implemented, it will bring huge disaster to the local people.
After Hu Zongxian received the approval, he understood that he was in a dilemma.Originally, he could use the memorial to make suggestions to Yan Song, or directly explain the matter to Emperor Jiajing in a memorial, but due to Tan Lun's intervention, he became a victim of party strife.Tan Lun's actions in Zhejiang put Hu Zongxian into trouble. He knew that the strict party's chaotic government would definitely lead to chaos in Zhejiang.In order to stabilize the morale of the army, he persuaded Tan Lun to go to Qi Jiguang's camp first.
The development of the situation exceeded Hu Zongxian's expectation.Yang Jinshui, the eunuch in charge of the Jiangnan Weaving Bureau, colluded with Zheng Michang, He Maocai and others to buy the land of the victims at a low price.When the flood came, they ordered Ma Ningyuan, the prefect of Hangzhou, and others to dig out the gates of the dikes in nine counties of Xin'an River behind Hu Zongxian's back. Nine counties were in danger of being flooded.
After learning about the breach of the levee, Hu Zongxian led Qi Jiguang, Tan Lun and others to quickly mobilize troops to the levee in person, and worked together with the people led by Qi Dazhu to fight the flood.After hard work, they were finally forced to divert floods in Chun'an County and Jiande County.Chun'an Jiande suffered severe disasters, while seven other counties were spared.This flood brought a major setback to the Yan Party's attempt to annex land in nine counties.
