afterglow

Chapter 405 Chapter [-] The Price of Treachery and Greed; At least he didn’t reprimand me

In a recent public redemption in Shiwan Town, nearly a thousand hectares of land were redeemed, and more than 300 large and small landowners lost the land they had inherited from their ancestors and relied on for their livelihood.

The proportion of cultivated land faced by the Ming Dynasty is slightly different from that of the original plane - the proportion of large landowners with land of [-] acres or more is slightly higher.

This is because there were endless wars during the same period in history, and landowners were likely to die for various reasons, making it difficult to ensure the stable accumulation or inheritance of land, so land rights were relatively dispersed.

Survey reports at that time, including those from centrists, showed that in various provinces south of the Yangtze River, the number of landlords was about 4-5%, occupying 25%-40% of the land.

At the same time, there are quite a few small landowners who only have a few dozen acres of land. Even because of the vague definition, some rich farmers are also classified as small landowners.

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The overall stable situation in the Ming Dynasty in modern times has actually made land more concentrated. Small landowners are relatively rare, and most landowners own hundreds of acres of land.

The imperial court's survey results showed that rich peasants and middle peasants had a certain level of consumption power, but poor peasants and farm laborers were naturally quite low.

The land was redeemed from the landlord's name and given to these semi-owner farmers and tenant farmers, so that these households were upgraded to owner-peasants. In addition to food and clothing, the idle labor force could also go to the cities to work.

As long as people are freed from their original constraints, everything will come alive.

Two sidecar motorcycles and several bicycles slowly parked beside the country road. Two arrogant officials casually announced the land distribution method in the car without touching the ground.

"...That's pretty much it, just take a look."

Then, a roll of notice was handed over.

People gathered together and looked through the notice to find out how many acres each household had been allocated and where it was located.

Some people soon felt something unusual - most of these acres were in relatively remote places and were not very fertile.

In the Ming Dynasty, acres were generally divided into three grades: upper, middle and lower according to type and fertility, and each grade was further divided into three levels, so there were nine types in total - upper upper, upper middle, upper lower, middle upper, middle middle...

Although landowners would try their best to select good land when acquiring and annexing land, they would always annex some ordinary land. Moreover, even good land will lose fertility after years of cultivation.

So the farmers present were not happy, and someone quickly asked: "Master, this is just some low-grade land, and it is so far away. It may take more than an hour to go back and forth."

However, the two officials did not take this seriously, and just replied nonchalantly: "This is a division of the county, and it has nothing to do with us. Let's just leave it like this. I will go to the city in a few days to collect the land deed." Done."

After saying that, they left. The motorcycles passed by suddenly, and the dust was flying. Several other bike riders followed closely behind them, pedaling vigorously.

Things like this are not uncommon. People have heard about it before. They heard that people who were allocated land complained about the treachery of government subordinates, who delayed doing things without paying them, and who took a long time to allocate some fertile fields. .

Originally, everyone had been happy in the past two months, thinking that the good thing about dividing the land was finally their turn, but they didn't expect the rumors to be true.

We don’t have any spare money to begin with, so how can we be willing to spend the little money we need for emergencies?
The farmers who were supposed to benefit were disappointed, and the landowners who were relatively harmed by this policy were equally angry.

The compulsory acquisition of land is already objectionable, let alone those greedy guys who want to withhold part of it.

Originally, in order to appease the landowners whose land had been forcibly purchased, the actual guidelines for the public land redemption policy required that landowners be paid at a price that is [-]% to [-]% higher than the local market price.

However, after the money is deducted at all levels, the actual payment is often lower than the market price.

This dissatisfied both landowners and farmers, which inevitably led to resentment.

However, the government is powerful after all, so going to the door to make a fuss and making arguments usually has no results. It is either prevarication or a small amount of compensation.

But... there will always be exceptions.

The people of Shiwan Town were not willing to accept this cowardice. Some people even took the lead in saying that this was unfair and they must seek an explanation.

So the next day, hundreds of farmers helped the elderly and children into the city. Hundreds of people gathered at the gate of the county government office in great numbers, watching and shouting.

Although the farmers were unarmed, more than a dozen policemen from the nearby Inspection Division Police Station felt like they were facing a formidable enemy and kept scolding and admonishing them to disperse.

In the Hengshan County government, local officials dismissed the farmers' questions.

A few days ago, in order to cope with the joint protest of the angry landlords, the county government reluctantly allocated an extra sum of money to them, so the officials are now very unhappy.

"You're a coward! You're greedy. You're not satisfied with such a good thing for free. Today, you're going to buy some good land. Are you going to add a few more acres tomorrow?"

"Indeed, it shouldn't be condoned."

"How about we disperse them? It's not a problem to gather in front of the official office like this. It's not convenient for us to do things."

The Hengshan County officials did not want to pay attention to these white-eyed wolves who, in their opinion, were looking for trouble and had no enough to eat, so they made several calls in succession and asked the inspection department to send people to disperse them.

The local Yi'an Army also received the instructions and dispatched a platoon of soldiers from the nearest area to the scene to suppress the formation.

After all, the county town is the home court of the local government. Naturally, the farmers who came to protest could not hold on. They quickly dispersed and left angrily under the measures taken both soft and hard.

However, the dissatisfaction in the heart will not be eliminated because of this, it is just a temporary backlog due to the situation.

So just two days later, when several officials who were going to the countryside passed Shiwan Town, people who had been waiting for a long time on the dirt road suddenly swarmed up.

Doubts arose one after another. Facing the aggressive farmers, the three officials and their followers were frightened, and all their good words had no effect.

"Never mind that, we must have an explanation. You errands have been staring at the little money in our pockets all day long!"

Seeing that he had aroused public anger and was about to be attacked by a group of people, an official suddenly slapped the driver beside him on the shoulder and shouted: "Let's go quickly!"

The engine of this sidecar motorcycle suddenly roared, and people subconsciously dodged. The car rushed out of the surrounding area with a roar.

People yelled and cursed from behind, but it seemed that they had escaped?

As for my colleagues who are still trapped inside, I'm sorry. Just now, the Clay Bodhisattva crossed the river and couldn't save himself.

The Hengshan County household official breathed a sigh of relief and mentally vowed never to come to this ghost place like Shiwan Town again.

But at this moment, a ditch suddenly appeared in front of him, and the motorcycle, which had no choice but to take the road, rushed out and fell into the river, splashing a large amount of water...

Also in the past few days, changes in the situation in Europe have triggered major changes one after another.

The Siberian Defense Forces' attempt to capture Izhevsk and plunder arms and machinery failed. Facts have proved that the lack of heavy weapons was fatal in this era.At the same time, the cavalry was really no longer able to be reused.

Facing the defense line built by local soldiers and civilians, the expeditionary force with only a few artillery pieces was completely unable to attack. The brutal frontal attack, apart from leaving a pile of corpses on the ground, had the greatest effect of consuming the bullets of the defenders.

However, Izhevsk, the city of arms, can easily produce hundreds of thousands or millions of bullets of various types in a day.

The 12th Cavalry Brigade tried to outflank Izhevsk to the northwest, but unfortunately encountered the tank troops of the local defenders.

Faced with more than 20 BT-5 light tanks that were rampaging and extremely fast, these cavalry troops stationed in Siberia all year round were unable to defeat or escape. They were shot dead by tank guns and machine guns. They finally recognized the cruel reality. .

According to the telegram sent back by the Ming Dynasty's envoy to Yekaterinburg, only less than 4000 of the more than 2000-strong expeditionary force was able to withdraw, with [-] casualties, and a large number of broken troops were captured.

Want to take advantage of the situation without adequate preparation?This is considered a loss-making transaction.

Zhou Changfeng was preparing to go to the emperor for routine business. When he passed through the Qianqing Gate, two colleagues in charge of internal affairs passed by and muttered as they walked.

It seems that something happened in a county in Hunan?An official who was doing something was attacked and killed by a crowd of people?Even Yi'an's army was dispatched locally?

"Really or not?" Zhou Changfeng stopped the two of them and asked in surprise: "It's only summer, and the locals will definitely not be hungry... When did the people of Ming Dynasty become so bold and courageous?"

One of them felt helpless and replied: "Uh... Zhou Taizhao, how can you dare to talk about such things?"

Zhou Changfeng was silent for a few seconds, and finally choked out a few words, "Congratulations."

To actually have the courage to fight without putting his own survival at risk is quite rare to be honest.

Then, as always, he came to the outside of the east room of Zhaoren Hall and paced in place waiting for the summons.

The emperor's office would definitely have enhanced soundproofing, but Zhaoren Hall was not an office in essence, it was just Zhu Lingjing's personal administration here.

Therefore, if you listen carefully outside the door, you can hear the sounds inside, especially female voices, which tend to be more penetrating.

"...So whose fault is this? You don't know? You still can't figure out the cause and effect from what you've done. How can it be so? How many of the officials in the imperial court are useful? Retreat and reorganize."

After a moment, the left minister of the Ministry of Industry, who looked disappointed, opened the door and walked out. He stumbled on the threshold and almost fell down.

Zhou Changfeng, who was waiting at the door, was startled and hurriedly stepped forward to offer his hand. The middle-aged man thanked him awkwardly and left in a hurry.

Zhou couldn't help but feel a little proud. Although Zhu Lingjing was an unpleasant woman, she had never been scolded as bluntly as before.

What does this mean?This shows that he is conscientious and conscientious in his work, so that no one can fault him.

"...This is the conclusion of the staff office. Your Majesty, my personal opinion is the same. In order to avoid the worst situation, the British may really dare to take action."

"Can your signature be more scrawled? The seal is also crooked." Zhu Lingjing said calmly without raising her head.

Zhou Changfeng:? ? ?

No, who is at fault today?

After a brief silence, Zhu Lingjing looked at her fingernails and said, "According to this argument, how much damage can the British navy cause to the French fleet in the harbor? Can't shore batteries prevent the British from invading?"

Zhou Changfeng pointed upward with his index finger, "Your Majesty, don't forget the plane..."

Zhu Lingjing pretended to be nonchalant and said "Yes", and then said calmly: "If things continue like this, the main force of the French warships will not be able to surrender, and the British can safely guard the homeland and wait for the situation to change."

She looked out the window and pondered for a few seconds, "Well...it is necessary to finalize the imperial meeting, and we should not delay it any longer."

Faced with a similar situation in history, the British carried out the famous "Operation Ballista" - forcing the French navy not to be used by the Germans and resorting to force when necessary.

On July [-], [-], Fleet H of the Royal Navy arrived outside the French naval base in North Africa, Mirskbiel Port. Carrier-based aircraft took off from the aircraft carrier Ark Royal and dropped mines to block the port. Fleet H then issued an ultimatum, demanding that France People make decisions immediately.

[-]. Leave Hong Kong to fight with the British army;

Second, leave the port and sail to a British-controlled port to hand over the warship;

Third, leave the port and sail to North America, handing the warship to the United States for safekeeping.

The French ignored it and sent a message for help, and then the British fleet officially opened fire.

The battle continued into the night. Four French battleships were sunk or severely damaged. Only the Strasbourg battlecruiser and a few destroyers took advantage of the speed advantage to escape.

The worst outcome considered by the British at that time was that if the main force of the French fleet was captured by the Germans, it would directly affect the balance of power in the Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean, which may in turn lead to drastic changes in the entire European battlefield.

In order to fundamentally prevent this bad outcome, the British took a more "safe" action. The ballistae operation went very smoothly. Anyway, it was the French people's wrists that were cut off, and they all surrendered. It didn't hurt their bodies and their hearts. No pain.

Considering the influence of the German Society today, the British will only be more wary, and the replica version of the ballista operation is probably a certainty.

To be honest, Zhou Changfeng once thought about trying to remind the French, but in the end he gave up.

If the French navy really merged with the workers' navy, it might cause some unforeseen changes. It would be bad if it caused the United States to shelve its plan to enter Europe.

After the last imperial meeting ended in failure, the Ming Dynasty monarchs and ministers have not decided when to hold it again.

Although the military is eager to try, the various factions in North Korea and China have reached a tacit consensus-it is not the best strategic window right now, so let's wait and see for a while.

At 6:17 on June 14, Washington time, the passenger plane carrying the British envoy landed steadily on the airport runway.

The neatly arranged military band played "God Save the King", and among the Americans who came to greet him were several generals in addition to government officials.

Vice Admiral Sir Edward Collins walked down the gangway, performed a standard military salute, and then shook hands with the dignitaries and generals present.

"America welcomes you!"

Compared with the delegation that had arrived more than half a month ago, although Edward, who made a special trip this time, was also responsible for lobbying, he was mainly here to lobby the US military.

The German Workers' Navy currently has more than 160 submarines in service, and is increasing at an astonishing rate of completing twelve to fifteen submarines every month.

The French Navy experienced a "defection" of its constituents at the beginning of the month. So far, two submarines and a destroyer have defected to the so-called democratic commune.

If this continues, the Atlantic route will be in jeopardy!
(End of this chapter)