Emperor Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1005 Villagers
When Yujia arrived in Tianjin, the city was full of joy.

The ground is paved with loess, water is sprinkled on the ground, gongs and drums are noisy, firecrackers are blasting, and there are huge crowds of people.

The chief officials and gentry of several counties in Tianjin prefecture all came to kneel down to welcome them, which can be described as eager.

The emperor was noncommittal, and received the Tianjin prefect, Tongzhi, and Tongju, and then some local gentry.

The gentry class in the Ming Dynasty was different from the tyrants in the Song and Tang Dynasties. The gentry were all famous and belonged to the ruling class.

To put it simply, most of the tyrants in the Tang and Song Dynasties belonged to the common people. They could only control the people at the bottom and thus influence the officials.

At this time, a cruel official can solve a certain tyrant at all costs.

Tyrants compete with the imperial court for population and land.

The gentry, on the other hand, can influence grassroots officials from top to bottom through the status of the same subjects and teachers, and there is no room for cruel officials to survive.

The imperial court and the gentry compromised to divide the power, thus achieving a balance.

The two are opposites, but they are also integrated and intricate.

For example, the group training in the late Qing Dynasty was the result of the cooperation between the gentry and the court.

Zhu Yixi is not a cynical youth, he is a power controller who deeply understands the pros and cons of gentry.

It is too difficult for imperial power to go to the countryside.

The country has now expanded to 40 counties, and [-] officials are needed.

The number of townships is more than ten times that, and the number of officials is less than 500 million, and it is impossible to go to the countryside.

Such a huge number of officials will eat up [-]% of the taxes, thus forcing the court to increase taxes, which will be counterproductive and the people will suffer even more.

What must be clarified is that imperial power goes to the countryside to strengthen the country and enrich the people, not to go to the countryside for the sake of going to the countryside.

Hooligans are not to be feared, but educated hooligans are to be feared.

And the most frightening thing is the cultural hooligans in power.

Zhu Yixi couldn't even imagine the scene where a group of corrupt officials went to the countryside to search the stove.

After all, most gentry have face and bottom line.

In today's world, the emphasis is on the love of hometown.

Within a county, each township holds a group; within a prefecture, each county holds a group.

When it comes to the whole country, we talk about provincial nationality.

Just like Zhang Zongchang expropriated violently in Shandong, but for his hometown Ye County, he built bridges and paved roads, which can be said to be a good deed.

This is typical gentry thinking.

Although I am a warlord and have killed countless people, I am a very kind person in my hometown.

The gentry received by the emperor are generally high-ranking officials who return to their hometowns for retirement.

For example, the few who appeared in front of him were a minister of the Ministry of Rites, a Guangxi chief envoy, and a Shanxi inspector.

Don't look at none of them are Shangshu or Gelao, but they are already the middle and upper class of civil servants, and ordinary Jinshi basically stops here.

There are only a few hundred civil servants at the provincial level in the entire Ming Dynasty, which is considered rare.

Going one step further, it is difficult to go across the border without Jun En.

They speak elegantly, without timidity or rudeness, and what they talk about is also well-founded.

They are an important way for the emperor to understand the local situation.

"The development of Tianjin Prefecture is pretty good now."

Zhu Yixi smiled lightly and said, "This summer, 200 million yuan will be sent to Beijing, which can be regarded as the number one capital in the north."

The former minister of rites breathed tremblingly: "Your Majesty praises it, Tianjin Mansion is so prosperous today, mainly because the court is well-organized and the people are harmonious, and the holy army is at court."

"With the addition of some canals and the convenience of sea transportation, it can be regarded as barely developed."

As he said that, he said with some pride: "Although Tianjin Mansion is not comparable to Suzhou, it is also among the top three in the world."

Zhu Yixi nodded slightly, noncommittal.

He looked at another old man, who was in his 70s, and his eyes were slightly cloudy.

"Mr. Zhang, do you know about the civil unrest in Guangxi?"

"Your Majesty, I do understand a thing or two." Zhang Cong stood up with his hands folded, "The chaos in Guangxi is, in the final analysis, a result of less land and more people, and disputes among the people."

"Natives and Han people fight for land, Han people fight for water, and villages fight endlessly."

"This is a stubborn disease, which can only be cured for a while, but cannot be cured for a long time."

Zhu Yixi smiled slightly, but this was on point.

Isn't the so-called civil unrest the unequal distribution of resources?
In the feudal era, the most important means of production was nothing more than land.

"The governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, Yu Chenglong, also thinks so."

Zhu Yixi looked at a few people, with a relaxed face, and said casually: "Guangxi has a small area and a lot of people. Unlike Fujian, where you can go to Taiwan, there is still a way out for immigrants from Nanyang."

"Before there was no land near the sea in Guangxi, even if you wanted to go to the sea, there was no land. Now that I have set aside Lianzhou Mansion, there is an extra way of life."

"Besides, Yu Chenglong said that Qin and Qi are short of people, so the government of the two countries can directly recruit people, which can be regarded as alleviating the difficulty."

Zhang Cong's eyes lit up when he heard the words, and he nodded, and then he was thinking again, with hesitation on his face.

"Mr. Zhang clearly stated that, you and I have been monarchs and ministers for many years, how can there be such a gap?"

Zhu Yixi laughed.

"Your Majesty, apart from the lack of land in Guangxi, the second most stubborn disease is chieftain."

Zhang Cong was flattered, and hurriedly said: "Since the reign of Emperor Taizu, the return of reformed land has never been cut off. Over the years, there have been one after another, and there have also been riots of extravagance and robbers. However, nearly [-]% of the land in Guangxi is controlled by chieftains."

"Now that our Emperor Ming is in its prime, with a sage emperor in the court and a capable official like the governor, we should go forward without hesitation, completely reform Guangxi, and sweep away the shackles."

When Zhu Yixi heard this, she nodded repeatedly.

He has been expanding the territory all these years, or reforming the New Deal, but he has forgotten the matter of reforming the land and returning it to the people.

After all, since the Ming Dynasty, the southwestern region has been completely under the control of the imperial court. Even in Guizhou and Yunnan, where barbarians are everywhere, Han people occupy the majority.

But what cannot be ignored is that the chieftain and half of the country occupying the three southwestern provinces, otherwise, why would the Qing Dynasty reform the land and return it to the people?

It is precisely because there is money in the national treasury now that one should get things done with one brain and clear obstacles for future generations.

Having made up her mind, Zhu Yixi showed a sincere smile: "I have benefited a lot from Mr. Zhang's words!"

"Sure enough, we should come to the countryside to have a look."

For a time, the monarch and his ministers got along well, and there was a lot of laughter.

Another Shanxi procuratorial envoy who served as an official said: "Shanxi has a lot of lawsuits."

"Because of the border trade, there are many ways for merchants, and every family is happy to build a high-end courtyard, and merchants often go to court for money."

"After the imperial court implemented the appeal policy, the general judgments at the prefectural level were miserable, and almost all judgments in the county were appealed, which was considered unfair."

"The procurator has to personally examine several cases every month, which was unimaginable before."

Zhu Yixi stroked his beard and said, "Everything has advantages and disadvantages."

"For Xiaomin, the appeal can at least give him a glimmer of hope. Those stupid and corrupt officials in the province will affect the reputation of the imperial court."

The appeal here refers to the trial of the county general judgment. If the plaintiff or the defendant refuses to accept it, they can appeal and have the government judge retry it.

This has created complicated government affairs and complicated cases.

But this is part of Shaowu's New Deal, which belongs to the category of judicial reform, and Zhu Yixi must implement it so as to form a practice.

After working for several hours, the emperor took a breath.

He found a few sons, and casually ordered: "There is a tax battle in Jinghai County, you guys are fine, you can go and have a look."

"Yes!" The six kings headed by King Liao couldn't wait to answer.

King Liao was imposing and high-spirited. He led the horse and walked in the front.

Due to his age and temperament, King Yue and King Wei had to follow behind him, like a few small followers.

At the same time, the hundred riders behind were protecting them, for fear that something might happen to these ancestors.

"Let's go!" King Liao got on his horse and was very excited.

But the yamen servant who was leading the way could only follow after the temptation, riding a donkey without bumps.

After walking for two hours, the group arrived at He'an Village.

"Isn't there a canal near here? Why is there still a shortage of water?"

On the way, King Liao couldn't help asking after learning about the general situation of the weapon fight.

"Yeah, just use the water from the canal to irrigate. These people are so stupid. Why grab so much water?"

Fu Wang couldn't help but sighed, he shook his head, the fat on his face trembled wildly, and he looked like an ignorant little man who was hard to educate.

The yamen servant said with a bitter face: "The young masters don't know something, but we have a severe water shortage in the north, which is not as good as the lack of water in the south."

"In the past, when there was no sea transportation, the water transportation office was under the jurisdiction. Any small river flowing into the canal was not allowed to intercept privately for irrigation to prevent the canal from drying up."

"Nowadays, the canal is run by civilian boats, and the water control is not so strong, so some small rivers are allowed to be closed on weekdays, but it is not allowed to be closed during the dry season."

"The closure of this part of the river has caused fighting in several villages."

Having said that, fear appeared on his face.

"Several villages, dozens of hundreds of people, nothing." Wei Wang shook his head, his tone was very contemptuous.

"My lord, there are thousands of strong men in the villages. Except for muskets and armor, what kind of hoes and knives, spears, they have everything that one expects to find. There are blacksmith shops in every village."

The yamen servant smiled wryly and said: "Two days ago, in the private fight, three people were killed and seventy were injured in just half an hour. This is the timely deployment of the patrol battalion, otherwise we will not stop until dozens of people die... "

Hearing these words, the group of princes became more and more interested, while the Beijing soldiers behind them raised their hearts and were ready to make meritorious service at any time.

Soon, a group of people came to a small pier by the canal, which evolved into a market town, responsible for supplying food and drink on the canal, and also a place for nearby people to go to the market.

Facing a large group of cavalry, maybe the patrol battalion has seen a lot these days, the people are used to it, and they did not disperse and escape.

The King of Liao came to a restaurant with a few brothers, and asked the cavalry to wait outside the town, while the few of them ate and drank.

"In other words, when Yang Ye rode his horse and took a look, he saw a Khitan tartar nearly ten feet tall riding that tall horse, which was half a head taller than Yang Ye's horse. , that is, a child meets an adult..."

The storyteller, a table, a fan, and a gavel, just stood there and started talking.

The rich sat down and served snacks and tea, while the poor in short clothes gathered around the side of the road and listened.

They didn't dare to approach them for fear of being blamed by the restaurant, and they didn't even have free listening books.

Liao Wang and the others were dressed in gorgeous clothes. As soon as they were seated, Xiaoer waited on them.

At this time, suddenly there was an exclamation from the side:

"Why is there a mouse?"

"Nonsense, this is duck, the authentic roast duck from Beijing, look at this sauce, it smells so good."

When Xiao Er heard the foreign language, his smiling face immediately became calm, and he said affirmatively.

The yelling guest stood up: "Look at this tooth, this beard, the whole is a mouse's head, you call it a duck without conscience?"

"It's a duck neck, that's it, it's rare and strange."

Xiao Er became arrogant and said disdainfully.

"If you don't believe me, ask, what is this duck neck?"

People nearby gathered around.

In Xiaoer's local dialect and the guest's foreign language, they all preferred.

"Yes, this is the duck neck."

"It can't be a mouse—"

At this time, the yamen servant patrolling the street came over and saw that his cousin's shop was being disturbed, and immediately said:

"You foreign man, this is our local duck neck in Jinghai, it looks like this."

"If you can't afford it, don't eat it, it's a shame."

Seeing that the yamen servants supported him, the originally energetic guests immediately became depressed: "Yes, why did we get it wrong."

The King of Liao was young and energetic, and he hated such a scene of bullying the weak. He raised his buttocks and said, "Are you blind? This is not a mouse."

"Bullying foreigners in partnership, is this a business?"

"Ouch--"

Fu Wang, who was sitting on the same bench together, the moment Liao Wang stood up, the bench immediately tilted up, and his ass fell to the ground.

After howling, he rubbed his buttocks and walked over: "My fourth brother is right, this is a mouse, how can it be a duck boob."

Xiao Er was worried about the clothes of the few people, but still stubbornly said: "This is the duck neck, if you don't believe me, you can ask them?"

"That's right, it's a duck neck." Another table guest said.

"Duck neck, not a mouse." The poor man who heard about it turned his face away and said.

The yamen servant said loudly: "A few out-of-town guys know what a fart, this is our local duck, let you get to know it!"

"Referring to a deer as a horse, referring to a stag as a horse!"

The king of Liao became more and more frustrated.

But at this time, the shouting guest threw down a handful of copper coins and fled away, not staying in the wine shop.

The yamen servant smiled and said, "Master, although you have a prominent status, you can take it easy in our Jinghai."

After speaking, he took a few coins from the counter without hesitation, and left slowly.

And in the wine shop, the voice of the speaking person sounded again, and the voice continued to turmoil,
It was as if the excitement just now didn't exist at all.

King Liao sat down angrily.

King Fu explained: "This group of people know how to bully foreigners."

"Let's go." Liao Wang got up: "Hey, we can't eat duck meat mixed with rats."

So several people changed to a big restaurant and put on a banquet.

It's a pity that several people lost their appetite and left again after the hasty end.

When the few of them arrived at the village of Jidou, they saw a group of angry farmers, carrying hoes and forks, and swaggeringly left the village.

(End of this chapter)