Chongzhen Daming: Starting from Coal Mountain

Chapter 394
Meanwhile, in Guilin, Guangxi.

Qu Shixu, the governor of Guangxi, was processing official documents in the government office when a clerk came in and reported, "Lord Zhongcheng, a man who claims to be the son of Prince Qin, Chen Bangyan, wants to see you."

"Scholar Qin?" Qu Shixu was surprised when he heard this.

Today, looking at the entire Ming Dynasty, no official dares to underestimate Prince Qin's scholars, because everyone knows that they are the real disciples of the Son of Heaven.

These diligent princes are not imperial envoys, but they are better than imperial envoys.

"Please come soon." Qu Shixu got up and said just after he finished speaking, "Forget it, I'd better go and greet you in person."

At that moment, Qu Shixu straightened his clothes and came straight to the gate. He saw a scholar standing outside the gate with his arms folded. Although the scholar was only wearing an ordinary shirt, he walked with a sense of grace.

This kind of tolerance is not born, but acquired.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, the scholar turned his head and looked towards him.

"This must be Qu Zhongcheng, right?" The scholar made a bow neither overbearing nor humble.

"My official is Qu Shixu." Qu Shixu didn't hold back at all, and said solemnly after returning the ceremony, "Chen Xiaoyou is here."

Although Chen Bangyan's fame is only a juror, he didn't feel restrained in the face of Qu Shixu, a big official in the frontier, and immediately raised his leg and entered the governor's office.

As soon as he entered the palace, Chen Bangyan took out an edict from his sleeve and said, "There is an edict."

Qu Shixu said in his heart that it was true, and immediately knelt down on his knees and said in a respectful voice: "The governor of Guangxi, Qu Shixu, respectfully invites Shengan."

"Sheng Gong'an." Chen Bangyan agreed, and read the edict again, "Qu Shisi, this will reform all the chieftains under the Guangxi Chief Envoy's jurisdiction! Chen Bangyan, Chen Zizhuang, and Zhang Jiayu will discuss with each other, and if the major issues are not resolved, they will submit a request to Nanjing for an order, hereby."

After listening to the Shangyu, Qu Shixu felt a little confused.

Reformed?Why did he suddenly change his mind?
This is really not psychologically prepared at all, isn't this too hasty?
Reforming the land and returning it to the people is a big deal, how can we make a decision with a slap in the face?What if a civil uprising is triggered?The upheavals of the Zhuang and Yao people were much more severe than those of the Han people.

"Qu Zhongcheng, accept the order." Chen Bangyan said.

Qu Shixu then took the edict with both hands, and said respectfully, "I accept the edict."

But after getting up, Qu Shixu said with a bitter face: "Xiaoyou Chen, it's not so easy to change the land and return to the brigade..."

"Qu Zhongcheng, I don't think it's difficult." Chen Bangyan said calmly, "The [-] wolf soldiers from Zuojiang have been transferred to Yunnan, and it may be difficult to return to Guangxi in a short time. So at this time, the government will encounter much less resistance when reforming the land and returning it to the people."

Qu Shixu's eyes lit up involuntarily.

None of Zuojiang's forty-eight wolf soldiers were at home, so this was a chance.

But soon, Qu Shixu shook his head again and said: "Chen Xiaoyou, there are more than the forty-eight chieftains of Zuojiang in Guangxi. There are also a large number of Zhuang and Yao people in other prefectures and counties. Tangle, if these Zhuang people and Yao people revolt together, I'm afraid it will not end well."

"There is no need for Zhongcheng to worry about this matter." Chen Bangyan said, "The Holy Majesty has already dispatched a new army of [-] people to Guangxi, which is specially used to ensure the smooth implementation of the reform."

"A new army of two thousand? Two thousand?" Qu Shixu shook his head and smiled wryly, "Chen Xiaoyou, it's not that I'm timid. An army of two thousand is probably not enough to ensure the smooth implementation of the reform. For Guangxi Province to forcibly promote land reform, at least [-] officers and soldiers are needed, and they must be elite."

"Qu Zhongcheng, forceful suppression is only the last option, and forceful suppression may not be necessary." Chen Bangyan shook his head.

"It's absolutely impossible." Qu Shixu said decisively, "Xiaoyou Chen, it's not just once or twice that I, Da Ming, carried out land reform. Which time didn't blood flow into rivers? It's absolutely impossible without using force."

The biggest obstacle to reforming the land and returning to the local people is the chieftain. How can there be a chieftain in Tuzhi County, Tuzhi Prefecture?

"Not exactly." Chen Bangyan said, "If the government can allocate land to the Zhuang people and the Yao people so that they can live a good life, what reason do they have to obstruct the land reform?"

"Dividing the fields?" Qu Shixu had an expression on his face.

The governor wants to allocate land to the Zhuang people and the Yao people, but where can they get the land?

Under the jurisdiction of the Chief Commissioner of Guangxi, there are eleven prefectures and three prefectures. More than [-]% of the land is in the name of the Jingjiang Prince's Mansion, [-]% is in the name of the local gentry, and [-]% is in the name of the common people.

It is of course a great idea to let the Zhuang and Yao people in the mountains come out and give them land, so that they can change from mountain people to farmers, but where does the land come from?It's impossible to let the Jingjiang Prince's Mansion come out of the fields, right?
"Yes, divide the land." Chen Bangyan said seriously, "According to the Yulin Atlas, there are a total of more than [-] million mu of arable land in the three prefectures of Guangxi, and [-]% of the arable land is under the name of King Jingjiang. Seventy percent of the Han, Zhuang, and Yao people in Guangxi are tenant farmers of King Jingjiang. In addition to paying taxes to the Jingjiang Palace, the Zhuang and Yao people also have to bear the exploitation of the chieftain, which is why they live in extreme hardship. Therefore, Your Majesty It also issued an edict to the Jingjiang Palace, ordering the Jingjiang Palace to donate all the farmland under its name for free, so that the Han people, Zhuang people and Yao people in Guangxi can realize the land to the tiller!"

"Gratuitous donation?" Qu Shixu's eyes widened suddenly, is the Holy One so ruthless?

Chen Bangyan said: "Chen Zizhuang has already gone to Jingjiang Prince's Mansion during the other military affairs. If there is no accident, King Jingjiang should have received the order by now, so Mr. Zhongcheng doesn't have to worry about farming."

Qu Shixu still couldn't believe it, and asked, "But, will King Jingjiang agree?"

"Of course King Jingjiang will agree." Chen Bangyan said, "Because the new army will work hard to do a good job of persuasion."

Qu Shixu was awe-inspiring when he heard the words. What kind of persuasion work is clearly intimidation by force, but why am I so happy?In other words, His Majesty should have done this long ago.

However, Arita alone is not enough.

Qu Shixu said again: "Xiaoyou Chen, I'm afraid it's not enough just to have land. You don't know, those Zhuang people and Yao people's wealth and lives are controlled by the chieftain, and they can't come out without the chieftain's permission."

"That's why the Holy Majesty ordered me to bring two thousand new troops here." Chen Bangyan said, "The two thousand new troops are specially used to deal with the chieftain master who is behind the scenes."

Speaking of this meal, he said: "However, Lord Zhongcheng needs to do a good job of enlightenment, and must let the strong people and Yao people in the mountains understand that the government has no malicious intentions, but the chieftain who wants to enslave them forever. As a result, those chieftains have lost the support of the majority of Zhuang and Yao people, so there is nothing to worry about."

"There is no problem with the education work." Qu Shixu frowned and asked, "But are two thousand new troops really enough?"

"Two thousand is enough." Chen Bangyan smiled, and continued, "But only one thousand new troops have come for the time being, and another thousand new troops have gone to Nanning Mansion to intercept a batch of property there."

……

At this time, it was at Yujiang Ferry in Nanning.

After the confluence of the left and right rivers, it becomes the Yujiang River, and the Yujiang River is a tributary of the Xijiang River (Pearl River).

The business caravan coming from Yunnan had to go through here if they wanted to go to Guangdong via Nanning.

Ding Kuichu's confidant, General Ding Da, led three hundred family members, guarding a cavalry team composed of more than five hundred mules, horses and donkeys, and was winding eastward, preparing to return to the Guangdong Governor's Office via Nanning Mansion.

A family who explores the way will suddenly turn back and report: "Brother, there are officers and soldiers at the ferry ahead."

"When did you set up a checkpoint here?" Ding Da frowned, and then said with great disdain, "Ignore him, show them the token of the governor's office, I don't believe they dare to check the people in the governor's office!"

After finishing speaking, he turned around and shouted: "Cheer up, everyone, don't embarrass the governor's office."

With an order, more than three hundred people puffed up their chests and strode forward.

Soon they came to the ferry, and one of the leading scholars shouted: "Stop, please accept the search!"

"Who are you?" Ding Da snorted coldly, and shouted sharply, "Do you dare to investigate the people in the governor's yamen?"

"A person from the governor's yamen?" The scholar said with a smile, "Don't say that you are from the governor's yamen, you are the current chief assistant. I have also checked it out, and all the mules and horses were taken aside for search. check!"

"I see who dares to move?" Ding shouted loudly, and said again, "If you want to search the cavalry in the governor's office, first ask us whether the saber in our hand agrees."

The more than three hundred servants quickly showed Leng Sensen's saber.

"The scholar has to ask today." The scholar smiled and raised his right hand.

In the next instant, thousands of new troops armed with live ammunition rushed out from the houses on both sides of the ferry, the reeds, and the sugarcane fields, aiming at Ding Da and the three hundred family members.

Facing the black muzzle of the gun, Ding Da hesitated at once.

"Take them all!" the scholar yelled, and the new army immediately rushed forward.

Ding Da and the more than three hundred servants did not dare to resist, so they could only restrain themselves obediently.

Needless to say, this Qin Wang scholar is naturally Zhang Jiayu. He led a thousand new troops day and night to Nanning three days ago according to Chongzhen's order, and then waited at the ferry.

Sure enough, today was Ding Kuichu's cavalry.

The Holy Majesty is really good at predicting things, he has long expected that Ding Kuichu will come to such a trick.

This is a really good harvest, and Ding Kuichu has no excuse even if he wants to deny it.

However, just to be on the safe side, Zhang Jiayu still randomly checked the packages on the backs of more than a dozen mules and horses, and found that they were filled with fine gold and silver, silk, ginseng, Shu brocade and other treasures.

At that moment Zhang Jiayu called a group of barbarians to the front.

"Lord Bajue." Zhang Jiayu said, "Please report to the Holy Majesty, just say that Ding Kuichu, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, has stolen money from the Lin'an mansion that has been seized by the new army. There are more than [-] mules, horses and donkeys in total."

"Understood." Ba Hanzhen led Yi Ding away immediately.

(End of this chapter)