Emperor Ming Dynasty

Chapter 385

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, Shandong fell into the scorching heat again, and the hot summer was tormenting the whole land.

Since the reign of Chongzhen, Shandong has suffered a lot.

The invasion of the Qing Dynasty turned the whole Shandong people on their backs, and the tax in Dingkou dropped sharply. Therefore, there were many vassal kings who expelled the country.

Drought, military disasters, and bandit disasters made the entire hometown of Confucius and Mencius seem to have fallen into chaos, and it was difficult to extricate themselves.

Of course, the Yellow River, which once flooded from time to time, has now taken the Huai River into the sea, and lacks a large amount of water for irrigation. For Shandong, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.

As the location of Kinki and guarding the canal, the army in Shandong has reached a scale of [-] to [-], and nearly [-] Eight Banners soldiers are stationed in Jinan to guard this strategically important area.

"Damn it!"

Wu Sangui looked at Jinan City in the distance, feeling extremely tired both physically and mentally.

The thin gown directly exposed the general's belly, his face was tanned, and a lot of sweat dripped from his forehead to the instep.

The horse was also sweating profusely from the heat, which made him extremely distressed.

From Yangzhou to Jinan, even though there are canals along the way, it is naturally extremely uncomfortable to be chased by people.

At the same time, coming back from a defeated battle also left him with a dull face.

"Let's go!" The mighty army raised a lot of dust.

Outside the city of Jinan, Ding Wensheng, governor of Shandong, and a group of civil and military officials greeted him.

As for the garrison of the Eight Banners, they are in Dezhou and Qingzhou, and naturally not in Jinan.

On the side, Shandong Chief Envoy Shao Mingshi, with a slender beard, was extremely elegant and upright.

He was a Jinshi in the second year of Tianqi, and he came from a noble family, but he was very respectful to Ding Wensheng, the governor who was born as a scholar, and he dared not slack off in the slightest.

Without him, he is from Liaodong, and he surrendered a long time ago. Now it is the Eight Banners of the Han Dynasty, and the status of the Han Banners is very different.

"Fu Xian, why do you cater to Wu Sangui so much?"

Shao Mingshi stood on one side and said in a low voice, "He was defeated and returned, so he should be punished as a matter of course."

Ding Wensheng was expressionless, and said with a light smile: "He has tens of thousands of soldiers under his command, and the loss is not much. This is his confidence."

"Why, are you treating King Pingxi?"

"No."

Shao Mingshi shook his head quickly: "I just think that we in Shandong are struggling with money and food, and now we have to support tens of thousands of cavalrymen. It is inevitable that we will be overwhelmed."

"Up to now, we can only persevere."

Ding Wensheng sighed softly: "Now they are still indispensable..."

After this remark, the two stopped talking.

Soon, dressed in armor, majestic.King Pingxi, led his Guanning iron cavalry and came in a mighty way.

The majestic horses and sturdy temperament impress Shandong Wenwu deeply.

"Thank you for your warm welcome!" Wu Sangui looked good.

Seeing such a grand welcome ceremony, a smile could not help showing on his face.

In this way, the banquet is also very enjoyable.

Within a few days, Ding Wensheng became unhappy.

"Fuxian, Wu Sangui has pushed me too hard, so I have no choice but to come here to complain."

Zuo Buzheng Shao Mingshi gritted his teeth and said angrily:

"Just two days after I arrived in Jinan, King Pingxi came looking for me, wanting 100,000 shi of military rations and [-] taels of silver to reward the army. It is really absurd."

As he spoke, he clapped his hands and kept walking: "Although it is the autumn harvest in the whole of Shandong, the amount of money and food shipped to the capital has increased by [-]% compared with last year. The rest has already been divided up without the Eight Banners garrison."

"Now in the treasury, let alone 100,000 taels, even if it is [-], I can't get it out."

"Prince Pingxi came back from a long distance, and some money and food will still be given."

Ding Wensheng walked a few steps after him, raised his brows, and said, "Give him five thousand stone grains and 5000 taels of silver for the time being, and we'll talk about it later."

"Tell him the rest. We're still using it."

"In the future, the money and food will be used monthly, so don't give too much."

"Understood." Shao Mingshi's expression changed.

"But what about the next few months?"

"Then go grab it, borrow it!"

Ding Wensheng waved his sleeves and sat down on his own: "The matter of money and food is the responsibility of your chief envoy. I don't have the ability to teach you."

Shao Mingshi sighed and frowned.

Qufu.

For thousands of years, the Confucian Mansion has occupied this place, and it has almost become a country within a country. Its branches are all over Shandong, and its influence can be said to be no less than that of the imperial court.

The local gentry may not care about the imperial court, but they have to consider the words of the Confucian government.

Therefore, after the Qing Dynasty entered the customs, Yan Shenggong once again kept his title, and his wealth continued.

Of course, don't deify him too much and demand him too much. There are too many spineless people like him in the late Ming Dynasty.

"What loan?"

Yan Shenggong Kong Yinzhi was taken aback when he heard the words, and stood up directly from the grand master's chair.

"Isn't this going and never returning?"

Facing the magistrate of Qufu, Kong Yinzhi said unabashedly: "It's better to rob it directly, we can still win sympathy."

Speaking of this, we have to mention Qufu County.

From the Tang Dynasty, the Confucian family successively served as county magistrates. Until the Ming Dynasty, the rule of the Confucian family's hereditary appointment began.

The county magistrate of Qufu was completely selected by Yan Shenggong, and then the court approved it. Even the emperor only had the right to recall.

The more than 300-year hereditary history lasted until the Qianlong period.

Therefore, the magistrate of Qufu County faced Yan Shenggong just like facing his parents, with sincerity and sincerity, and obeyed his words.

"Grandpa, this Manchu is different from us Han people. They are cruel. Have you forgotten what happened back then?"

Hearing this, Kong Yinzhi immediately thought of the scene of the invaders in Shandong, and couldn't help but shudder.

"Grandpa, according to the information I got, the governor wants you to be an example. With you in the lead, how can others dare not offer it? At that time, it will make sense."

"Well, there are thousands of people in the mansion, and there are many vines and branches. No matter how many fields there are, it is difficult to support them."

Yan Shenggong sighed in embarrassment, and said: "However, in order to show the loyalty of the Confucian family, I am willing to offer a thousand taels of silver and three thousand stones of grain and grass."

Qufu magistrate's eyelids twitched.

The Confucian Mansion, which owns tens of thousands of hectares of land, has tax reductions and exemptions. This amount of money and food is really not enough to tickle an itch.

"Grandpa, your intentions..."

"Why, less?"

Kong Yinzhi endured the heartache, and continued: "Then 3000 taels of silver and [-] shi of grain, no more. The grain depot is empty, and the whole government will probably be hungry next year."

"It's really a lot!"

The magistrate of Qufu reluctantly said.

"Hmph, tell Governor Ding that it's just this one time, don't take it as an example. The Confucian Mansion has no food left. If you continue to persecute me, I will write to the court."

Kong Yinzhi said with resentment on his face.

With Yan Shenggong taking the lead, the province's food collection is much faster, and it can barely be used.

But for the bureaucrats, their interests have not yet come out, and the people must be made more difficult.

(End of this chapter)