The most powerful patriarch in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 171 You need to collect money and eat well

Chapter 169

The others came to their senses and spoke in agreement.

Based on what Lu Changle did in other state capitals, it is better than Zheng's anyway,

Money is something outside the body, let's talk about it after getting through the current hurdle.

Lu Changle didn't say a word, but said that the matter was very important.
After investigation, discuss with the people around you before making a decision.

Everyone didn't dare to say anything, seeing Lu Changle pick up the teacup, one by one they resigned tactfully.

After everyone left, Yang Xuan came out from behind the screen: "Master, these people are quite sincere, and you don't plan to carry out a big cleanup, why didn't you agree to them?"

When talking, he picked up the gift list and looked at it, and said in surprise: "Yo, this is quite a big deal."

Not to mention food, meat, and wine, there are 5 taels of silver alone.

This handwriting is huge.

Lu Changle said with a sneer: "Zheng Zhilong monopolizes the sea trade business and earns tens of millions of taels a year. He eats meat and always gets some soup for others to drink. Even a little soup is enough for them to eat each of them. Can you not be generous with the money to buy your life?"

Daming has a vast land and abundant resources, such as tea, silk, porcelain, etc.
It has always been loved by foreigners, and the profits are also very rich.

Zheng Zhilong and those gentry who secretly participated in maritime trade made a fortune one by one,

Daming can't get any benefits out of it. They earn so much money, and none of them goes into the treasury.

It is no exaggeration to say that a moderately wealthy household in Fujian eats better than Chongzhen, the emperor,
Empress Min Zhou who died with Chongzhen, in order to save money,
He also installed 24 spinning wheels in the palace, and often led the ladies in weaving.

All in all, these people are Daming's big rats,

Even if you don't kill them, you have to give them a good beating, and then let them spit out the money,
After the turmoil in Fujian, it needs to spend a lot of money to build a large building.

Yang Xuan nodded and said, "If it's the money to buy your life, it's indeed a bit shabby."

The Yang family in Fujian has long heard that Quanzhou businessmen are very good at making money.

Lu Changle said meaningfully: "People's hearts are always difficult to be satisfied. You can't talk too easily, otherwise it will make them more lucky, and what you do at that time will not satisfy them."

"Press them tightly from the beginning, it is best to let them feel no hope, and then relax at the critical moment, not only will they not resent, but they will be grateful to us for letting him go."

"Sir, this is Sheng Mien and Dou Michou, right?"

"Smart" Lu Changle snapped his fingers.

After the rural protection team took over Quanzhou City, they immediately implemented military control.

The name is to search for Zheng's remnants and investigate carefully,
Everyone must stay at home and wait for registration and interrogation.
Since taking over Changle City, several state capitals have adopted this form,

The members of the rural protection team are all familiar with the road,

To prevent those soldiers or militia members from taking the opportunity to disturb the people,
Lu Jinyuan either arranged for them to patrol the city, or used a mixed method.
Bad guys have to be liquidated, but word of mouth must not be lost.

Cheng's firm, which has been based in Quanzhou for many years, knows everything about Quanzhou city.
With the cooperation of Cheng's firm and Chen Qi's intelligence team,

Lu Changle quickly dug out a group of people who committed the most crimes,
Some are attached to the Zheng family and have committed many crimes,
Some are merchants who secretly do business with Jianlu regardless of the safety of the country.
Lu Changle arrested them, first paraded them through the streets, listed their crimes one by one,
And beheaded at the gate,
Ordinary people naturally applauded loudly,

Many people call Lu Changle Lu Qingtian,

The country gentry, rich households, landlords and others in the city were in constant panic,

The Zheng family has been entrenched in Fujian for 15 years. For various purposes,

I have to cooperate with them and please them,
When Zheng was in power, these were good performances,

Now it's Lu Changle, as long as it's true,

What is right is also wrong, and what is wrong becomes a disaster.

I was afraid that the next knife would cut me down,

So those country gentry, landlords, wealthy businessmen, went crazy and entrusted people to intercede and give gifts,

Lin Fanqing, Zhang Libo, Lu Zhongde and others, who were highly expected by everyone, went to the government office many times to ask for an interview.

It's a pity that Lu Changle has been too busy to refuse,

Seeing that the number of people being beheaded and ransacked is increasing, more and more people can't sleep well,

I'm afraid of even the slightest disturbance,
Fortunately, Lin Fanqing, Lu Zhongde and others waited for three days and were finally interviewed.

The four representatives entered the government office and discussed for a long time.

He went in with a serious face, and when he came out, his expression was a little weird.
But the pace is obviously much lighter.

At this time, the military management of Quanzhou City was relaxed a lot, and the common people could not go out of the city,
There are no restrictions on moving around the city.

As soon as the four of them left the mansion, a group of people who had been waiting for a long time immediately surrounded them and asked in one go:
"Patriarch Lu, how are you? Has the general let go?"

"Yeah, how long will it take to clear up this detailed investigation?"

"I haven't slept well in three days, President Zhang, is there any good news this time?"

"Huang Tongzhi, Mrs. Zheng ordered raw silk from my store before, will General Lu pursue it?"

"Thinking about it, the shopkeeper Chen who was beheaded also had business dealings with me. The conscience of heaven and earth, I really don't know that he is so bold. He sold contraband to Jianlu. These days, he dare not close his eyes. Whenever he closes his eyes, he has nightmares."

"Patriarch Lu, you have a lot of face. Someone in our clan has served as the bodyguard of the Zheng family. I heard that he killed many people. Is it too late to expel him from the family tree now?"

Everyone said something to each other, and the scene was very chaotic.

Huang Ruhui quickly raised his hands and said, "Stop, stop, stop, everyone, listen to me first."

Hearing Huang Tongzhi's words, everyone fell silent.
Everyone looked at Huang Ruhui and listened to what he had to say.

Huang Ruhui looked around, pointed to the front and said, "It's not convenient to talk here, let's go to Yueke Building to talk."

This is the gate of the government office, and there are many people from the rural protection team standing there.

As soon as everyone heard that it made sense, they hurried to the Yueke Building in front.

When everyone was assembled, Huang Ruhui let out a dry cough, and all his attention fell on himself.
Then he opened his mouth and said: "Zheng Zongbing is wrong, the pirate Zheng Zhilong, knowing that General Lu is a general appointed by the court, still uses the reason of suppressing bandits to eliminate dissidents."

"Let's not talk about other prefectural capitals. There are tens of thousands of civilians and militia groups who were killed and injured in Fuzhou prefecture. It can be said that there are many blood debts."

"Many of them are relatives of General Lu. General Lu is very angry and plans to clean up Quanzhou Prefecture."

"Fortunately, Patriarch Lu Zhongde, President Zhang, and Patriarch Lin tried their best to persuade them, and moved them with emotion and understanding with reason."

"I knelt down to General Lu. General Lu was moved by our sincerity and finally let go."

Zhang Libo hastily said: "Huang Tongzhi was flattered, this time the success should go to Huang Tongzhi."

"That is, if Huang Tongzhi hadn't stepped forward, General Lu would not have easily agreed to give in."

"They're all my own people, so don't be modest about Huang Tongzhi."

Everyone carried the sedan chair, and Lin Fanqing and Lu Zhongde also supported Huang Ruhui in return.

The four of them were modest, and under the urging of everyone, Huang Ruhui came up with a solution.
Argument for crime silver.

Huang Tongzhi explained: "General Lu said that as long as people who walk upright and sit upright, no matter how much wealth or land they have, the rural protection team will not pay a penny. This is the principle."

"General Lu is also considerate of those who have done wrong things. After all, Mrs. Zheng was in charge at the time."

"As for those who committed the most heinous crimes and shared the wrath of both men and gods, the Township Protection Team has executed a large number of them."

"The rest of those who have committed crimes and have dirty buttocks can use money or goods to redeem themselves"

"General Lu promised that the money will not be moved, nor will it be used for the rural protection team, and it will all be used for the people of Fujian to rebuild their homes."

Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, secretly relieved, and then a little confused.

Liang Weixing, a wealthy man in the north of the city, frowned and said, "Huang Tongzhi, how much money is appropriate for this crime?"

"That's right, it's the first time I've heard of it, I've lived for so long." A landlord wearing a melon cap echoed.

Seeing that Huang Ruhui didn't speak, Zhang Libo took the initiative to take over the topic: "What wrong things have you done, list them yourself, and hand them over to the Criminal Appeal Office established by General Lu, and the members of the Criminal Appeal Office will discuss how much to pay for the criminal charges."

"After handing over, if someone sues the official with the listed matters, he will be exempted from punishment"

"On the contrary, if someone sues the officials, those who have committed crimes before and have not paid the crime money will be punished by the Daming law."

"Under the repeated pleas of the four of us, General Lu agreed that those who hand over [-]% of their property at one time can write off all past mistakes."

"Everyone, that's it. Everyone, ask yourself, and then make up your own mind."

While everyone was discussing,
Lu Zhongde added: "A few confidantes around General Lu disagreed with this proposal. They thought it was too kind. They said that heavy codes should be used in troubled times. It was Huang Tongzhi's repeated requests, so he reluctantly agreed. Ten days, after ten days, no more money will be accepted."

what?
Ten days?

Everyone was shocked when they heard this,
Just now I was thinking about the matter of heartache and money, and I was thinking about what things to confess and where I could not.
There were also people who cursed inwardly, thinking that Lu Changle was changing tricks to get money,

When they heard that there were only ten days, everyone became anxious.

There are so many people, what should I do if I can’t make it up?
"Everyone, I have a step ahead"

"I forgot to make an appointment with a friend, and I will say goodbye"

"There is still soup stewing at home, let's move it out first."

The people who came to inquire about the news all made excuses and left in a hurry.
In the end, only Huang Ruhui, Lu Zhongde, Zhang Libo and Lin Fanqing were left.

The four of them looked at each other, cupped their hands tacitly, and dispersed.

There are some words that the four of them did not say,
Lu Changle expressed his stance that the four people present made some minor mistakes, but they did not miss the major points.
In the future, there will still be many things that need the help of the four people, and the fault of the four people will not be held accountable.
That's the way it is said,
If you go back and donate a large sum, your spine will be broken.

In the early morning of the next day, the Criminal Prosecution Division had just been established.
There was a long queue of people who came to hand over the crime money,
Some people almost got into fights because of jumping in the queue, but luckily there was a township protection team to maintain order.

Negotiating crimes takes time, and sometimes negotiating,

Seeing that the team hadn't moved, the people behind became anxious,
Lu Changle had no choice but to send more people,
Change people when you are tired, and spend all night collecting money for crimes,
Everyone was convinced when they saw boxes of crime silver being sent into the warehouse.

Especially Li Dingguo, his eyes were wide open, and he once thought he was dreaming.

Every time the righteous father conquered a land, the first thing he did was search for horses and property.

In order to get more goods, those landlords and gentry will be hanged and tortured,
Those who can be taken away are taken away, and those who cannot be taken away are distributed to the poor people.
Lu Changle did kill a lot, but the common people applauded the people he killed,

When entering Quanzhou City, officials and gentry opened the door to welcome them in.

When getting money, those country gentry and landlords took the initiative to send it to their door, and they were afraid that Lu Changle would not accept it.
Li Dingguo can be sure that it was the adoptive father who took over here,

The money he got was not as much as Lu Changle received,

Most importantly, Lu Changle's reputation is very good,
With so much money collected, unannounced visits to those people in Quanzhou City,
Whether they are landlords and gentry, or merchants and ordinary people,

No one scolded Lu Changle,

Right,

The [-] township protection team guarded the city, and five days passed without a single incident of bullying the people.
Not to mention the bad incidents of looting property and robbing civilian women,

Everyone in the city is not allowed to close the door, and the rural protection team rests under the eaves during the break.
The common people refused to invite them to rest inside, saying that the township protection team was disciplined.

In order to show innocence, the received atonement silver was invited to be overseer by a famous person in the city,
All should be used for rebuilding the homes of Fujian people,
In this way, the grievances of those who paid the atonement silver were much less.

The more Li Dingguo watched, the more he admired Lu Changle,
This trick is great. After Lu Changle took over Fujian,
In order to strengthen one's own strength and buy people's hearts, one must help the common people rebuild their homes,
Lu Changle, who was grateful to the common people for rebuilding his homeland with the crime silver,

Obviously, the money used to rebuild their homes and restore production,

In the end, it will flow back to Lu Changle in the form of taxes,
This is a sure-fire deal.

Those who are innocent are not punished, and those who make small mistakes are punished.
It's just that there are many mistakes, and handing over [-]% of the family property is considered a cap.
In other words, while those people saved their lives, they still had at least [-]% of their wealth.
Although his vitality was severely injured, he left a chance to make a comeback,

Greatly reduce their hostility towards the new manager,

Not to mention the common people, they are full of praise for Lu Changle.

Li Dingguo worried for the first time for his adoptive father Zhang Xianzhong,
If he meets such a terrifying opponent as Lu Changle, the consequences will be disastrous.

Soon, not only Quanzhou City,
Both Quanzhou Prefecture and Zhangzhou Prefecture have seen this special crime silver,
There has been an upsurge in the transfer of crime money in various state capitals, counties, and towns.

Lu Changle thought that he would be satisfied if he could get a hundred or ten thousand taels.
As the statistics from various places continue to be collected, Lu Changle is also stimulated by those numbers:
In Quanzhou County, gold, silver, grain, cloth and other goods were collected on the 150th, equivalent to 200 taels of silver;

In Hui'an County, gold, silver, grain, cloth and other goods were collected in ten days, equivalent to 56 taels of silver;

In Dehua County, gold, silver, grain, cloth and other goods were collected in ten days, equivalent to 28 taels of silver;

In Zhangzhou County, gold, silver, grain, cloth and other goods were collected in ten days, equivalent to 93 taels of silver;

Yongding County, received gold, silver, grain, cloth and other goods in ten days, equivalent to 34 taels of silver;

Quanzhou Prefecture and Zhangzhou Prefecture are just two prefectures.

Received more than 700 million taels of criminal silver,
In order to make a good impression, some country gentry, commercial firms, and chambers of commerce actively donated money and materials,

It is equivalent to more than three hundred thousand taels,
These do not include the confiscation of Zheng's family property, fields, shops, etc.
Due to the huge number, Lu Changgeng took people to count for half a month, but they haven't counted yet.
Those who do sea trade along the coast are very rich,

It can only be said that the Ming Dynasty was not poor, but the royal family and the treasury were poor.

Those officials, ministers, landlords and squires were all rich,

Looking at the mountain of money, Lu Changle suddenly sympathized with Chongzhen,
The majestic son of heaven saves money on food and clothing,
The queen of a country also needs to spin and weave to subsidize the expenses of the palace.

Unfortunately, in the face of a corrupt system,
No matter how hard Chongzhen tried, he could only become an outcast of the times.

(End of this chapter)