Eighth year of Chongzhen

Chapter 26 Xi'an Zuowei Part 2
The two drink a lot, although a pot of wine is very alcoholic, they drank it up in a short while, because they were afraid of drinking, they didn't ask for more.

Zhuang Yuanzhou called the shopkeeper to come out, and the shopkeeper ran out from the back kitchen, came up to him with a smile and asked, "You two guests, are you satisfied with the food and drink? The place is remote and we can't cook decent meals. Please forgive me, both of you!"

Zhuang Yuanzhou smiled and said: "I and other merchants don't pay much attention to this. I called you here to inquire about some things. The shopkeeper, please sit down!"

The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment, then found a stool and sat down, and said with a smile: "You two guests, feel free to ask if you have anything to do. The villain is born and bred in the local area, and he will definitely talk endlessly!"

Zhuang Yuanzhou smiled and said: "The two of us came from Shanxi. You saw the goods just now. They are all daily necessities. I planned to go to Yulin to sell them, but I heard that there were thieves near Yan'an, so I didn't dare to go. I happened to pass by here , I just want to sell these goods and go home as soon as possible, as long as I get back the cost, shopkeeper, do you know who here can buy all of our goods at once?"

The shopkeeper heard the words and asked: "I don't know how much this batch of goods is worth, sir? Do you want to bring some other items from the local area to sell?"

Zhuang Yuanzhou said: "This car has a total of 150 taels of silver!"

The shopkeeper said without even thinking about it: "150 taels of silver is a huge sum of money here, only the Commander can eat it, and his family has a shop in Fucheng!"

Speaking of this, the shopkeeper hesitated for a moment, looked around and whispered: "I advise you two not to sell here. The commander is a man who likes money, and the housekeeper Liu Lao Er is not a good guy. Guest officer If you trade with him, don't say 150 taels, 50 taels would be great! The villain sees that both of you are kind people, so I tell the truth, and the guest officer knows it well!"

Zhuang Yuanzhou took out a piece of silver weighing a few taels from his pocket, put it on the table and pushed it to the shopkeeper, and said with a smile: "Thank you, shopkeeper, for letting me know in advance. This is Xie Yin, please accept it!"

Seeing the generosity of the guest, the shopkeeper didn't give in. He just picked up the silver and put it in his arms, smiled and cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for the reward, the guest officer. The villain has a kind heart for a while. I didn't expect the guest officer to be so generous. It seems Good people are rewarded!"

Zhuang Yuanzhou smiled and said: "This is what it should mean. Dare to ask the shopkeeper, is your commander always acting like a bully?"

The shopkeeper just took a lot of property from the family, so he no longer concealed it, and said: "The villain's words came from my mouth and fell into your ears. I will not accept it except from this door. I will not hide it from you two, this Commander-in-Chief is ugly. Our left guard has a total of more than [-] hectares of land, [-] population and [-] households. Today, Commander-in-Chief owns [-]% of the land, and most of the military households have become tenants of his family. The tenant rent has to be paid [-]%. In recent years, there have been severe droughts and meager harvests in the fields, but the rent has not been reduced. It is rare for military households to eat a few meals a year. Some cannot survive, so they simply flee with their families. , there is no way to live in this world!"

Sun Chuanting listened on the sidelines, his brows were gradually frowned, and his anger gradually rose.

Zhuang Yuanzhou knew that he was jealous and had an upright temperament. Seeing his expression, he was afraid that he would get angry, so he hurriedly changed the subject and said with a smile: "Shopkeeper, since you can open a shop here, you must not be an ordinary person, right?"

The shopkeeper replied with a smile: "To tell you the truth, although the villain is also a military household, he has a cousin who is known to the guard. The villain has been honored by him, and the family has dozens of mu of land, which is usually rented to Few households farm. There is only one daughter in the villain’s family, and she also married far away in Shandong. It’s just me and my mother-in-law and aunt. How much can I eat and drink? The villain’s heart is not so dark, and the rent is only [-]%, but I can’t bear to look at the folks The lives we live are not as good as cattle and horses, and the guest officer is a foreigner, so I said more about this, and just said this!"

Zhuang Yuanzhou said with a smile: "I understand, I would like to thank the shopkeeper for telling us, otherwise, if this family really traded with the guards, they might lose all their money! It's getting late, we are going to rest, Shopkeeper, please go!" After finishing speaking, the two returned to the backyard to rest.

When he came to the room, Sun Chuanting frowned and said, "Liu has occupied [-]% of the [-] hectares of land, and the rent is as high as [-]%. What a day! Liu has accumulated for generations, and his wealth should be quite considerable, so let me make you a sacrificial flag!"

Zhuang Yuanzhou smiled and said: "Although my younger brother also sympathizes with the military households, what I see is that Brother Baigu won't have to worry about money and food in the next few years in Shaanxi, haha"

Sun Chuanting also smiled and said: "There are many such officials in various places, and the Xi'an Qianwei that two virtuous brothers Cui and Xie went to investigate is probably the same. When the former fan left Beijing, the Holy Majesty had already told me that he wanted me to act cheaply in Shaanxi. The Holy Majesty will support me unconditionally, let me ignore the slander and attacks, and let me do what I want. It seems that the Holy Majesty still has a deep understanding of the situation in various places, and wants to drastically change the status quo, but because of the general situation, I cannot do it myself. With the full support of the Holy Majesty, I will never look back even if I offend the officials and gentry who have done evil in the world! Zhong Fang, if there is a chance in the future, I will definitely take you to see Tianyan. Although I only have half a day to meet you this time, I fully feel that our The Holy Majesty is indeed a Ming emperor that is rare in the ages. In the past dynasties, there are very few emperors who treat their subjects with such confidence. I am in my forties, and I have read countless people, but I really feel that the Holy Majesty has absolute trust in a certain, without any hypocrisy Hypocrisy and suspicion of employing people! The majesty has a broad mind, profound insight in conversation, and equality with his subjects. I have never seen it, and it has never been recorded in history books. It is not like you and me in this era! Zhong Fang, yes The presence of this holy king is your blessing and mine!"

Zhuang Yuanzhou knew how proud his elder brother was in his heart. There were few people he admired. At present, only Hong Chengchou and Lu Xiangsheng were the ones he admired. corpse"

Although Hong Chengchou and others praised Sun Chuanting, they were not admired.I have never heard him admire a person so heartfeltly. It seems that the rumors are not credible. The rumors about the emperor's suspicion and impatience should be fabricated by someone with ulterior motives. Otherwise, with Sun Chuanting's knowledge of people, he would never respect a person so much of.When the elder brother mentioned the emperor, his eyes glowed and his face flushed, it was definitely not a fake.

After discussing for a while, the two rested separately.

The next day around [-] o'clock, Sun Chuanting and his party got up and had a simple breakfast. After thanking the innkeeper, they took the goods and went back to Xi'an.

After returning to the government office, Sun Chuanting learned that Cui and Xie had not yet turned back, so Sun Chuanting changed into official uniforms, and went to the public house in the front yard with Zhuang Yuanzhou in a Confucian robe.

Sun Chuanting sat behind his big case, while Zhuang Yuanzhou sat behind a desk beside him.

The old servant brought from Daizhou's hometown hurriedly brought tea to the two of them. Sun Chuanting ordered the secretary office to go to the chief envoy and the governor's yamen respectively to invite Zhu Yongyou and Li Dazhong to discuss matters.

After a while, Zhu Yongyou and Li Dazhong came to the governor's yamen one after the other.Zhu Yongyou bowed his hands to salute with a smile. Li Dazhong was a military officer, and he knelt on one knee to pay respects to the army. Sun Chuanting ordered them to show their seats. Mr. Zhuang Yuanzhou, a Juren from Shanxi Province, will participate in government affairs in the future, Mr. Zhuang is a great talent, he should pass the mid-term exam without any problem, and he may be an official at the same court as me in the future." Zhu and Li and Zhuang Yuanzhou bowed their hands to salute.

Zhu Yongyou asked with concern: "I heard that your lord is ill, is it okay?"

Sun Chuanting said with a smile, "I felt unwell yesterday, but after taking the medicine last night, I feel much better today."

Zhu Yongyou secretly despised him in his heart, but it's not because he couldn't get up after drinking too much, right?If you are seriously ill, you won't be fine overnight with any medicine, but there is a caring tone in your mouth: "Your Excellency may not be acclimatized, but you must take care of your health. Shaanxi cannot be separated from you!" Li Dazhong also hurriedly greeted him.

Sun Chuanting sneered in his heart: I'm from Shanxi, what's wrong with coming to Shaanxi, and Shaanxi can't do without me, you can't wait to take over from me!
Thank you in his mouth: "Thank you for your concern, I am fine now!"

After changing the subject, he continued: "I invite the two of you to come here today, I have something to discuss!"

At this time, the servant brought tea to the two of them, and Sun Chuanting took a sip, put down the teacup and continued: "I was ordered by the emperor to be the governor of Shaanxi, so I know the dangers of Shaanxi and the arduous task. Now I am wandering in Shaanxi, The bandits in Henan and Huguang originated in Shaanxi. It can be said that Shaanxi is the hometown and base of the bandits. If you want to wipe out the bandits, you must recruit troops. Most of the frontier troops in Shaanxi have followed Hong Du and moved to various places. The remaining frontier troops We must also guard against the Mongolian Tartars, and the rest of the guards are weak and useless. Therefore, I decided to recruit another new army to wipe out the rebels. The initial plan is to recruit [-] infantry and [-] cavalry. As long as they are trained properly, Sufficient food and salaries, clear rewards and punishments, you will be able to form an army in half a year, and then I and Hong Du will cooperate with each other to support and wipe out the Shaanxi thieves!"

Zhu Yongyou and Li Dazhong looked at each other, and Zhu Yongyou said: "Master Futai recruited new troops, and the officials are very much in favor of it, but where does the salary come from? In addition to paying the imperial court's tax and silver, the provincial treasury It is already stretched, and I am afraid it will be difficult to support the huge amount of new army expenses that the general population claims."

After Li Dazhong moved his lips a few times, he didn't make a sound.

Sun Chuanting said, "How much money is left in the treasury?"

Zhu Yongyou replied: "There is only 10 taels of silver left in the treasury. These silvers are used to distribute officials' salaries, build water conservancy projects, relieve hungry people, etc. It can be said that they are gone in a flash!"

"Then how much tax was handed over to the imperial court?" Sun Chuanting continued to ask.

"The original color is 20 taels in total," Zhu Yongyou replied.

Sun Chuanting said: "When my Majesty resigned, the Holy One gave me 10 taels of silver from the internal funds, so the salary for the preparation of the new army does not need to be used elsewhere for the time being, and Master Zhu does not have to worry. After the accountant's meeting is over, my official In the name of the governor’s office, post a recruitment notice. You send people to take the notice to the surrounding counties to post and publicize it. Set up a recruiting place, and arrange soldiers to maintain order. Anyone who comes to apply must find out the origin. Strategists, those who can read and write, and those from military households in the guard are given priority. Those who are slick in the market will not be accepted! You must keep your words in mind. When the time comes, I will send Mr. Zhuang or two other aides to sit in the town. You must personally participate in this thing, understand?"

Zhu Yongyou breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that the treasury would not be used, and immediately nodded in agreement.

Li Dazhong saluted on one knee to show his respect. Sun Chuanting nodded in satisfaction and asked the two to go back to prepare. Zhuang Yuanzhou had already drafted the conscription notice, and a dozen or so book offices in the yamen copied hundreds of copies together, and then handed it over to the chief minister. Make the yamen send people to post it everywhere.

After Sun Chuanting and the other two left, he sent Sun Zhi'an to the Jinyiwei Qianhu Office to see how far Li Guoliang had prepared the materials, and then began to discuss with Zhuang Yuanzhou how to deal with the matter of the guard.

Half an hour later, Sun Zhian brought Li Guoliang into the official office. Li Guoliang held a stack of papers in his hand. After saluting, Li Guoliang presented the materials in his hand to Sun Chuanting and said: "This is the material of the main officials and gentry in Shaanxi, including some The situation of leading troops and generals is basically here, please take a look at it.”

After Sun Chuanting took it, he quickly rummaged through it, and after a while, he found the copy of Liu Fuguo, the commander of Xi'an Zuowei.

Jinyiwei is worthy of being the secret service agency of the Ming Dynasty. It handles affairs meticulously. How did the ancestors of Liu Fuguo start his business? The fields, how many businessmen's properties have been murdered for money, how many military households have fled from the guard, how many military households have hated him to the bone, and how many subordinates have been persecuted.

As for how much property Liu Fuguo owns, there is no specific number. Of course, this is only the result of Jin Yiwei's investigation, and there is no evidence such as the testimony of the parties involved, fingerprints, etc. After all, collecting all kinds of information is the main responsibility of Jin Yiwei. As for whether it is useful or not, it depends. The meaning of Shangfeng.In the past few years, Jin Yiwei's command made Luo Yangxing gradually lose his aggressiveness and let go of Wei Li's affairs, causing Jin Yiwei to become a toothless tiger, with only a tiger skin left to scare people.

At the end of Liu Fuguo's materials, Sun Chuanting saw officials who had a close relationship with him. They were not in frequent contact with him, but some officials who Liu Fuguo bribed according to his own needs.

Sun Chuanting didn't take a closer look, because what he wanted to deal with now was Liu Fuguo, and he believed that no one would speak for him at that time. After all, it was not worthwhile to offend a big official of the frontier for a military officer of the guard.Usually accepting the benefits of Liu Fuguo, you can come forward to say hello for some small things, but once Shangfeng is involved, every official will quickly separate the relationship.

Sun Chuanting put down the stack of papers in his hand, smiled and said: "Li Qianhu has worked hard, you have done a good job, and when this matter is known, I will definitely report your achievements to the court. What's more, Please also ask Li Qianhu to arrange his subordinates to investigate more news about the rebels, this is the great merit!"

Li Guoliang was delighted. After all, he has been in Shaanxi for five years. The adults in the capital probably forgot about him. Now that he has credits and reports, his future will be broad. The staff will search for news in this regard, once there is news, the humble staff will immediately report it to the adults!"

Sun Chuanting said with a smile: "When the official inspects someone's property, Li Qianhu must send someone to assist him!"

Li Guoliang was very pleased with such a good deed, saluted and left.

Zhuang Yuanzhou said: "My lord, I don't think we should take action against the guard for the time being. Now we are mainly collecting information. Your lord has just arrived in Shaanxi and has not yet established a foothold. Others don't know how strong your lord is. If Liu Fuguo and his ilk are used, Although they dare not resist intimidated by the power of the imperial court, the rest of the people will definitely not be deterred. After all, the force of the guard is weak, and Liu Fuguo can only be regarded as a fat sheep without resistance. Others will think that adults only dare to attack the weak .I think my lord should show his power first, show his strength, and then organize the guards and other things in a logical manner, so that even some people with force in their hands will be afraid, and your lord will be able to act much more smoothly in the future!"

Sun Chuanting laughed and said: "Zhong Fang and I coincided with each other, and I also planned to do so. Zhong Fang, you also know that when you left Beijing, the Holy One sent five hundred brave guards to serve as the official standard battalion. When you come In the past few days, why haven't we seen those five hundred cavalry?"

Zhuang Yuanzhou asked suspiciously: "Little brother has been here for a few days, just curious why I haven't seen the fine cavalry that the adults rely on, could it be the adults..."

Sun Chuanting stroked his beard and laughed loudly: "Presumably at this time, Luo Shifang has already made meritorious service!"

(End of this chapter)