Eighth year of Chongzhen

Chapter 31 Negotiation
Zhang Runda and a group of generals rushed back to the station. Along the way, everyone talked a lot, full of injustice.

After returning to the guard, Zhang Runda called to go to the official office to discuss matters. Everyone felt anxious, so they came to the official office of the guard together.

There are not many regulations in the official office of the guard, but the Zhang family is a hereditary commander, so the usual routines are maintained very neatly.

After everyone came to the lobby and took their seats, Zhang Runda on the main seat said: "Let's discuss today's matter, and finally come up with a charter, so that I can explain to the governor. This matter concerns everyone's vital interests. So, let’s open up and say, don’t hide it, it’s all yours!”

All the people who were arguing and arguing along the way were silent at this moment. After a long time, the commander Gao Qimin broke the silence and said: "This matter is of great importance. I will wait for everything to obey the orders of the Commander!"

Zhang Runda scolded the old fox secretly, with a smile on his face, and said: "Of course I mean to act in accordance with the rules and regulations formulated by the governor. We are all officials ordered by the court, so we must obey the orders of the superior!"

Everyone cursed the little fox in their hearts, and Wu Shengkun, another commander, said: "If you follow the rules and regulations set by the governor, are you willing to return the land accumulated by your ancestors for generations to those poor military households? I will wait for it after returning it." How are you going to live? After a few generations, how will it be different from those poor military households?"

Commander Sun Chongliang said: "Everyone, let me say a bad word. Although we are officials ordered by the imperial court, the guards are actually our private property. Especially in recent decades, the imperial court has ignored us. I also have a lot of debts, and my current family business is all thanks to the hard work of my ancestors. Now that the governor opens his mouth, I will hand over the family business that I have painstakingly accumulated for generations, I am not reconciled!"

"Yes, I'm not reconciled either!"

"Why should Sun Chuanting say a word, we have to hand it over!"

"If the land is returned, how can the imperial court support a large family with that little salary? What qualifications do those poor military households have to share our land?"

"This is the case in all the guards in Ming Dynasty. Why do we have to return the three guards? We have to hand them over to all the guards! Then I have no objection!"

"Why don't we just kill this dog official, he's the one who has too many things!"

"I think he's trying to gain fame and reputation, and exchange our blood and sweat for his promotion!"

The atmosphere in the lobby gradually heated up, and most people were filled with righteous indignation, only a few thousand-level generals remained silent.

Zhang Runda looked at the subordinates who were slapping the table and staring, and felt bitter in his heart.As the biggest beneficiary, he is of course unwilling to change the status quo. If he follows Sun Chuanting's regulations, most of his family's [-] to [-] mu of fertile land will be removed. No one's life is already a bodhisattva's heart. Compared with others who know him and others, he is much uglier, and there are not a few people who see blood in the field.

He coughed, and everyone stopped discussing and looked at him. Zhang Runda said: "I know that you are not fair, and I think the same as everyone else. I really want to kill him when I hate him! But after thinking about it, the reality is here. He has a thick waist and strong legs, and our small arms and legs are no big deal at all! We know our own family affairs, and the few servants in our hands are usually easy to bully the military households, but if we are against the governor's standard battalion Those thugs are just hitting eggs against rocks. To put it bluntly, 100 people from the standard battalion can wipe out our entire left guard! So, let’s not talk about killing and rushing. The sky is falling and there is a Standing tall, there are those who are more impatient than us. Let's stand still and see how some people behave, and we can do as we do. The three guards are all prosperous, and all are damaged. It is not our turn to charge. Wait a few days One day I reckon that someone will ask me to discuss this matter, and I have already made up my mind, when the three guards and officials will write to the court together, of course the letter will not change the matter of rectifying the guards, the court will naturally favor the civil servants, I will only ask It is enough to increase the amount of land under the name. Double the amount set by the governor, so that although the family property is damaged, I will make up for it. Sun will not always work in Shaanxi. After he leaves If it's someone else, I don't think there will be a second stupid grandson in the court, and these poor military households will not be left to me!"

After hearing this, everyone felt that this was the best way at the moment, and they could only bear with it for now. After Sun Liaozi left Shaanxi, they followed the original method and slowly took back the returned fields, but it took a little longer.

Gao Qimin cupped his hands and said: "Your Excellency is farsighted, I admire you! I will obey your Lord's words, and I will only follow your Lord's lead!"

Zhang Runda smiled and waved his hands and said: "I am farsighted and farsighted, so there is nothing I can do! Who told us to be timid and afraid of getting into trouble, everyone should leave, I guess the poor military households will know about this in a few days, let us The overall situation is the most important thing, let's put up with those who make sarcastic remarks and provoke troubles, do you hear me?" After everyone agreed, they saluted and dispersed.

A similar situation also happened in Qianwei. Like Zhang Runda, Sun Zuowang, the commander of Qianwei, also planned to see what other people did, so Qianwei just followed.

In the study room of the governor's office, Sun Chuanting was talking with Zhuang Yuanzhou, Cui and Xie.

Zhuang Yuanzhou opened his mouth and said: "Brother Baigu, I thought that my brother would carry out drastic reforms to the guards, but I didn't expect my brother to hold it high and put it down lightly. According to my original intention, I will directly kill everyone, take down the leader, and confiscate the property. I won't have to worry about food and pay for the next few years, those are just a few big fat sheep, I still feel it's a pity now!" His tone was full of regret.

Cui and Xie also looked puzzled, they really had the same idea as Zhuang Yuanzhou.Because they knew that Sun Chuanting did not have much food and pay, and when he came, the Holy Majesty also stated that the imperial court had no money to allocate, and the local taxes in Shaanxi could be withheld for use.However, natural disasters and man-made disasters continue in Shaanxi, and the annual tax is really pitiful. For Sun Chuanting, who is going to do something big, it is just a drop in the bucket. Food and no force support, I did not expect the result of the meeting to be so.

Sun Chuanting laughed and said: "Three virtuous brothers, do you think that I don't want to cook pigs and slaughter sheep for fun? Hahaha! I don't want to be punished without teaching, and I don't want my teacher to be unknown. If I directly order a family to be confiscated, that would be a joy. It is inevitable to leave something to talk about, and people who are interested will make a big fuss! Although the Holy Majesty has said that he will let someone go and do things, he will trust me unconditionally, but I still try to let the Holy Majesty not argue with the courtiers because of my affairs. This time Desperate to get caught, I decided that some people must not be reconciled, it is inevitable that the dog jumps over the wall, and now I am waiting for him to attack, and I will catch him! Only then can I use the family property accumulated for several generations and have enough food and wages , a certain talent can do anything freely in Shaanxi, and it will also greatly deter the lesser people!"

Several people in Zhuang Yuanzhou were full of admiration after hearing this, and Sun Chuanting continued: "I have reported to the Holy Majesty in detail about the strategy for rectifying the guardhouse. I believe that with the foresight of the Holy Majesty, the arrangements will be made properly. The current matter is to recruit troops. , starting tomorrow, you guys will lead people down to the Three Guards separately, and recruit soldiers locally. We must build them into a first-class elite soldier in the world, and after the pacification of Shaanxi, we must conquer the remaining disobediences for the Holy Majesty, so that we can stabilize our country and the common people of the Ming Dynasty as soon as possible!"

A few people handed over their hands and agreed, and immediately dispersed to work separately.

Zhu Youjian was discussing with Bi Maokang and Mao Yuanyi in the Military Armament Supervision Bureau about craftsman management, gunpowder formula and improved firearms and many other issues.

Not long after Sun Chuanting left Beijing to take up his post, Mao Yuanyi and Bi Maokang arrived in the capital successively. Zhu Youjian saw them in person and had a pleasant conversation.Bi and Mao were overwhelmed by the emperor's gentle and generous attitude towards his subjects as well as his foresight, and they were willing to continue to serve the court willingly.

Zhu Youjian then decreed that Bi Maokang was assigned the title of military supervisor of the Ministry of Industry, and Mao Yuanyi temporarily joined the military supervisor as a member of the Ministry of War to assist Bi Maokang.

Bi Maokang's disciples and nephews are all students, and they have studied a lot, and they also have a lot of research on firearms.Zhu Youjian and each of them, as a student of the Imperial College, joined the Military Weapons Supervision to assist in their work.

Bi Maokang has been in his sixties, and since he became the right servant of the Nanjing Military Department, he has been writing books at home, but he is very concerned about the movements of the thieves and the Jianzhou Jurchen. He once wrote to the emperor, requesting to vigorously promote the use of firearms, and said, "Defeat the enemy and win the battle." Only the ears of firearms", but Chongzhen was exhausted by the national treasury, and the intractable thieves were troubled, so he had no time to take care of him at all.Before traveling, Zhu Zhenqing highly praised this firearms expert in the late Ming Dynasty, because he invented the world's first flintlock gun at that time, which enabled the firearm to be used in rainy and snowy weather, and greatly reduced the firing process and time.After arriving in Daming, the first thing Zhu Youjian thought of was Bi Maokang, a firearms wizard, so he ordered to recover him.

After Bi Maokang received the imperial edict, regardless of his sixty-year-old age, he simply packed up and took his disciple Zhang Jimeng, nephews Bi Dengfu and Bi Denghan with Jin Yiwei, who went to announce the edict and escorted him to Beijing, and set off for the capital.

After leaving their hometown in Shexian County, Huizhou, Jinyiwei guards followed the holy will and were not in a hurry. They only walked dozens of miles a day and rested when they encountered towns. Therefore, it took nearly two months to come to the capital, compared with Mao Yuanyi, who is far away in Fujian. It's too late.

Zhu Youjian is well aware that the root cause of the poor production of Daming firearms lies in the status and treatment of the craftsmen who make them. From the descriptions of time-travel novels he read in his previous life, he knows that the craftsmen and their families in such important positions have been It is the days when pigs and dogs are not as good as dogs.Although it is not to the point of selling their sons and daughters, having nothing to eat and clothing is their daily life.

And once you become a craftsman, your descendants will all be craftsmen, and you will not be allowed to take the imperial examination, or even farm.

The imperial court distributed the meager income to the craftsmen every month, and it was deducted layer by layer by the upper levels. In the end, it is not bad to have five achievements.In order to make ends meet, craftsmen can only secretly accept private work.Some rich and powerful households would find craftsmen from the military supervisory department if they wanted to build any weapons and armored battles, because their craftsmanship was superb and the quality of the forged weapons was very high.

But this kind of private work does not happen every day. Although they get a lot of salary each time, on average, the family can't even maintain food and clothing.So he asked the two to personally investigate the living conditions of the artisans after taking office.

After Bi Maokang and Mao Yuanyi took office, they searched openly and secretly, and the result shocked the two who had been living in the upper class.The craftsmen live together in the dirty and dilapidated alleys of Beicheng. The weather has gradually turned cold, but most of the children playing in the alleys are barefoot and naked.Most of the people’s houses are built with thatched grass in yellow mud. The few families I visited only ate two meals a day. The staple food was wild vegetables mixed with bran and wheat bran. , oily smell is rarely seen, many craftsmen are only in their 30s, but due to long-term lack of nutrition, they look old like people in their fifties. The feet stepped into the loess.

After the investigation, the two were deeply moved, and went to the palace to report to Zhu Youjian what they had seen during the trip.Although Zhu Youjian was generally clear about it, he had never witnessed it with his own eyes. After listening to the description of the two, he from later generations was silent for a long time. This kind of tragedy happened under his nose, which made him simply unacceptable.After the silence, he discussed with the two on how to improve the situation, and then ordered Wang Chengen to take out 5 taels of silver from his internal funds and hand it over to Bi and Mao for the short-term needs of the military supervision and the improvement of craftsmen. used in life.

Bi Maokang and Mao Yuanyi convened a meeting of more than [-] craftsmen, including all military supplies such as firearms, bows and arrows, weapons, tents, and clothing, as well as all officials of the Military Weapons Supervision.

Mao Yuanyi personally came to the stage to announce that the Holy Majesty would give each craftsman five taels of silver from his internal funds, buy and distribute five buckets of rice, three catties of flour, one catty of pork, and one piece of cotton cloth to improve their lives.

Strict quality inspections are carried out for all weapon manufacturing, and the craftsmen who make firearms must engrave their names on it every time they complete a piece. If there is a problem in the future, the craftsman who made the weapon will be fined five taels of silver and deduct the current month's salary.

The basic salary of each craftsman is one or two. After completing the task assigned by the military supervisor, for each additional piece produced, an additional reward will be given depending on the product produced. type of work, so piecework rewards cannot be unified).If there are inventions and creations that improve the use effect of weapons, the reward will be more than 100 taels, and there is no cap.

All military supervisors, officers, craftsmen, and handymen are responsible for two meals, and thick noodles and steamed buns are sufficient, and each person has two liang of meat every three days.The officers of the Armaments Supervision Bureau are self-supervised, and the monthly salary is doubled. All salaries are paid on a monthly basis.

Food such as rice, noodles, meat, etc. has been personally escorted by the eunuchs in the palace to the residence of artisans in Beicheng, and distributed to every household.

In the large courtyard of the Military Weapons Supervision Office, after Mao Yuanyi finished speaking, the craftsmen who gathered together stood there for a long time, and gradually began to whisper to each other.Did you understand in a low voice and asked others, when everyone understood what the adults just said, a huge noise suddenly sounded, and everyone cheered.Those who jumped, clapped their hands, slapped themselves hard in the face, pinched their thighs, yelled at the sky, couldn't make a sound and burst into tears, all kinds of gestures.

Suddenly someone knelt down and kowtowed, and then all the craftsmen fell to their knees, kowtowed vigorously, and shouted long live.Many people's foreheads were quickly swollen, and crying and laughing resounded throughout the audience.

Bi Maokang, Mao Yuanyi and the others looked at all this, and they felt strange feelings in their hearts.Since ancient times, no emperor has been able to treat Yourong so favorably to craftsmen and untouchables. Those who win the hearts of the people win the world. With this holy king, everything can be accomplished.

When everyone gradually calmed down, Bi Maokang got up and walked to the front of the stage. After making everyone stand up, he said: "We are all citizens of the Ming Dynasty. The imperial court has supported us for more than two hundred years. At this time when thieves are raging the world, You have to use all your strength and work hard to make the best guns and guns, and hand them over to the officers and soldiers who are fighting bloody battles with the bandits. Every time the weapon is better, the soldiers in the front will kill one more bandit. Only in this way can we repay Daming's kindness in raising us, and we can repay the kindness that the Holy Majesty treats you! This charter is all from the mouth of the Holy Majesty. I am so kind and virtuous, I am sorry for my conscience! This is all I have said, so you can do it yourself!"

As soon as his words fell, the craftsmen who had just stood up fell to their knees again, and an old man with gray hair in the front row, who was around fifty, said loudly: "This old man, the old man was born in a family of craftsmen for generations, and he has lived in this life." For more than fifty years, I have seen a lot, but the old man has never heard of any saint who takes us untouchables in his heart! Today's Long Live is the reborn parents of our untouchables. Although we are poor and humble, we are also grateful I, Liu Er, hereby make an oath that from now on, I will work hard to produce the best firearms and hand them over to the court officers and soldiers, in order to repay the kindness of the Holy Majesty! If I violate this oath, the sky will be struck by lightning!" , Kowtow three times.

The rest of the craftsmen also vowed that only by working hard can they repay the kindness of Long Live.After Bi Maokang nodded in satisfaction, he ordered the crowd to disperse. The craftsmen trotted back to the workshop, and immediately devoted themselves to production with full energy.

(End of this chapter)