The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Capital, Li Dongyang Mansion.

Ji Zhong, the Minister of Household Affairs, came to visit at night. The two met in the study, and Ji Zhong brought news from Yongping Mansion.

"... Some gentry who came from Yongping made a detailed list of the iron ore mines that the imperial court had opened in Yongping in the past two years. The local officials had shielded and connived at the iron mines in Yongping and failed to file a petition to impeach them, which led to chaos in the local area. After the Chinese New Year, there were several local fights for mines that resulted in bloodshed. The one the month before last was quite serious. Hundreds of people from both sides participated in the fight. Many people were injured as a result, and some are still bedridden to this day..."

When Zhong Zhong said this, he looked at Li Dongyang again and found that Li Dongyang's face was solemn.

Zhong Zhong concluded: "The local government wants to use people from the DPRK to support it and return the mines to the local government."

Li Dongyang said in a cold tone: "It's not theirs, but you want to pick it up off the shelf? This matter stems from the conflict of interests between the Ministry of Household Affairs and Huangzhuang. It is really inappropriate for the cabinet to get involved."

"Binzhi, it's like this. Local governments are opening their own mines, and there are also iron ore mines that are opening up, but the output is not quite satisfactory." Zhong Zhong added.

"You're not satisfied, so you want to take someone else's? It's hard for me to say this. If you think His Majesty will side with the local government, the Chief of Household Affairs can come and petition for this." What Li Dongyang means is not that I don't support you. , but now that the emperor is on the side of Zhang Bingkuan, who is mining, it is useless to mention it in the court.

Zhong Zhong said: "There will continue to be trouble in the local area. I heard that Zhang went to Yongping Mansion this time for this matter."

Li Dongyang looked disbelieving: "As far as I know, Zhang Bingkuan went east and went straight to Jizhen. He didn't seem to go to the mines."

Zhong Zhong sighed: "That's the problem. Liu Yu, the governor of Jizhen, used to find people to mine in the area and even competed with the people for profits. He was afraid that the two people would get together. In addition, in Yongping area, Many officials and gentry heard that Zhang was going to Jizhen, and they also flocked there. They seemed to want to take this opportunity to seek mining revenue. There were many abandoned mines in the area, and some people wanted to use this to make money. For personal gain.”

Yongping Prefecture, later known as Tangshan, was originally an iron-producing place, and many iron ores were superficial veins and were relatively easy to mine.

Before Zhang Zhou, it was not that no one had mined iron ore. It was just that the site selection, mining, and smelting techniques were backward, resulting in poor output. In addition, there had never been such a powerful person in the court as Zhang Zhou before. The people who opened the mines in the past either had problems with output or had disputes with local interests, and finally gave up.

Li Dongyang said: "From what you mean, it seems that the attitudes of the officials and gentry in Yongping are completely different."

"Yes." Zhong Zhong said, "Some want to fight with Mr. Zhang to the end, and some want to collude to make profits."

Li Dongyang sneered.

He now understands that it is impossible for a household minister like Zhong Zhong to be without any entanglements of interest in the local area.

In the past, not to mention being the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, even a minister, a lieutenant, or a minister could protect a group of people in the local area and have white gloves to seek benefits for them. Now Zhang Zhou is more likely to offend this group of officials. One third of an acre.

Is Zhong Zhong really doing it for so-called justice?

Li Dongyang shook his head and said: "No matter how much profit Zhang Bingkuan has made personally, at least for His Majesty, he is doing it for the border army and the court. Either the local situation is really out of control, forcing Your Majesty to stop , or Zhang Bingkuan took the initiative to stop, there is no third way to go."

"That means..."

Zhong Zhong seems to have grasped the essence of Li Dongyang's words.

Li Dongyang stood up, with the intention of seeing off the guests, and said: "That's it. It's best not to go into troubled waters in this matter. There are too many implications behind it, and it also involves the dispute between the interests of the Beijing camp and the border army."

"Yes." Zhong Zhong stood up and said, "I will also make it clear to the representatives of the local officials and gentry in Beijing, and let them solve it on their own. It is best to cause controversy among the world so that Mr. Zhang can retreat in spite of the difficulties."

"Ha ha."

Li Dongyang is embarrassed to say it, you guys take it too much for granted.

……

……

The night Zhang Zhou and Zhu Feng arrived in Jizhou Town, they attended a meeting between officials and gentry led by the local governor Liu Yu.

It was a reception banquet in name, with more than a dozen banquet tables set up. According to Zhang Zhou's investigation, local officials and gentry had to pay Liu Yu to participate in this banquet. A seat at the main table cost at least 100 taels. More than silver.

Zhang Zhou arrived relatively late. He was originally a guest, and with his prominent official position, there was no need to put on a show.

Liu Yu and others went out to the governor's office to greet him in person, and warmly invited Zhang Zhou to sit at the main table.

As the host, Liu Yu wanted to fulfill his duties as a landlord, but Zhang Zhou took the initiative to take away the right to speak. When Zhang Zhou stood up, all the officials and gentry present turned their attention to him.

"Everyone, I have come all the way here for no other reason than for two things." Zhang Zhou made the opening remarks.

Everyone present was silent, everyone was wondering why Zhang Zhou was so strong and acted as if he could not get along with local officials. Of course, the imperial envoys who came here in the past did not have as high an official position as Zhang Zhou, and those people were all following the trend. He chose to keep a low profile at the banquet and let others do the talking, in order to show the depth of his city. Whether he is loyal or traitorous, honest or corrupt, he can always advance and retreat in a measured manner with a dark face.

It was really the first time for them to see Zhang Zhou being so showy when he came up.

Liu Yu smiled and said: "Zhang Butang has won the trust of the Holy One. This time must be for important matters. We are willing to listen to your teachings."

Zhang Zhou said: "The first thing I came here is for military affairs, which is related to the stability around the capital. You should also know that your Majesty has ordered me to rectify the place. In addition to clearing out some redundant personnel in the local military and political affairs, we also need to Investigate the financial problems of the past few years and recover losses for the court."

This is a show of authority.

The first target is local officials.

Originally, these words were aimed at Liu Yu, but Liu Yu was obviously experienced as an official. He stood up and said, "Zhang Butang said it well. After I arrived in Jizhen, I also discovered that there were many bad policies in the local area. I had also told him before The court reported that Zhang Butang is here now, which can be said to be the kindness of the Holy Emperor to Ji Zhen. With Zhang Butang here, I believe that all of you here are determined to contribute to the stability of Ji Zhen and will absolutely support and cooperate."

"Yes, yes." Everyone present agreed.

Zhang Zhou ignored Liu Yu's words and continued: "The second thing is to come here for the mining."

At this point, the scene was completely silent again.

Because the Santun camp is located in Yongping Prefecture, and in addition to being an important border defense town, it also involves the ownership of the interests of the largest iron ore producing area in the Ming Dynasty. Whether it is an official or a local figure, everyone wants to Get a piece of the action.

Liu Yu said: "Zhang Butang, I also have some opinions on this point. After I took office, I learned that in addition to the imperial court mining here, there were also many people who mined privately without the imperial court's permission. Therefore, There were also a lot of disputes.”

As he spoke, Liu Yu said loudly to the people present, "Which of you is also mining without the permission of the court? If there is any violation of law or discipline, you should report it to the government. Now that Zhang Butang is here in person, you also Isn’t it time to be honest?”

No one at the scene would come out to directly discuss the mining with Zhang Zhou.

Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "Liu Zhongcheng, let me tell you the truth. I was the one who started the trend of mining in Yongping Mansion. I also mentioned to Your Majesty that there are iron ores in Yongping Mansion, which can just fill the gap for the imperial court to cast artillery and so on. I used the iron gap, and then I came here to survey several veins, and if I use this to mine, will it affect your interests?"

Liu Yu said: "With His Majesty's permission, you are mining for the imperial court. We are all sensible people here, how can we have any objections?"

"I don't think so."

Zhang Zhou's words were like hiding a needle in the thread, "As far as I know, there are quite a few people in Yongping Prefecture who have opinions about the mining, and there have even been fights. Some people even classify me as a traitor in the court." Party, I never thought that mining, something that benefits the country and the people, would make you so resistant."

Immediately, an official at the table at the back said loudly: "Sir Zhang, we are willing to assist you in mining, but please give us a chance."

"Yes." Someone took the lead, and others immediately echoed, "We are also willing to serve the court. Mining is beneficial to the country and the people, who wouldn't want to contribute? But the government is tight, and we are It’s not easy to open a mine, and the local government is not allowed to recruit a few people to work in the mine.”

Liu Yu stood up and scolded: "Listen to Zhang Butang, what does it have to do with you? Did you contribute a pound of iron to the court when you opened the mine? After all, is it not for your own pocket? This is a public house, whoever makes trouble, get out go out!"

Zhang Zhouyi saw Liu Yu's posture and understood that Liu Yu was flattering to others and strong to others. In fact, he was just a mean person with a fierce appearance but a weak heart.

Zhang Zhou said: "Strictly speaking, local mining is allowed, but you must follow the rules and pay more than [-]% of the mining tax every year after the mine is opened. If someone intends to exploit you, I will make the decision for you."

The officials and gentry present immediately exploded.

Of course they have the ability to mine, but they can't get much benefit from mining.

The reason is that they can't find rich mines and can't use them to get extremely high profits. The so-called serving the court together is more because they want Zhang Zhou to leave the pie in the sky to them.

Or maybe they think that Zhang Zhou, as the powerful dragon of the imperial court, should rely on local power if he wants to grab food from local snakes. The more trouble there is in the local area, the more Zhang Zhou will be afraid of it, and then he will give in to divide it. To bring out benefits, change to a harmonious one.But Zhang Zhou didn't get anything from opening the mine, so he naturally wouldn't divide the benefits.

You haven't contributed much, but just because you are local officials, I have to pamper you, right?

"But if anyone wants to threaten the court with the mining matter and harm me, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

With that said, Zhang Zhou picked up the wine glass on the table and drank a whole glass without paying attention to everyone's surprised looks.

"Zhang Butang, you are too anxious." Liu Yu said and wanted to refill Zhang Zhou's glass.

Zhang Zhou said: "I'm too drunk and tired from the long journey, so I won't chat with you here. If you have anything to do, especially if it involves money, or if you have any opinions about me, just skip the place and talk to the court. I'm happy to accompany you!"

At this point, Zhang Zhou seemed to have completely lost his patience. He waved his hand and said, "Goodbye!"

……

……

In full view of everyone, Zhang Zhou came to the banquet and left with Zhu Feng only a moment later.

The people present didn't know how embarrassed it was.

They were originally here to discuss profit distribution, but Zhang Zhou made a strong statement that he would not pay a penny, and at the same time threatened to use strong methods to deal with local officials and gentry, which was tantamount to breaking up with the local government, and the situation suddenly became tense. .

"Lord, look..."

In the end, everyone could only point their finger at Liu Yu.

You are the local governor, and your official position is much greater than that of the prefect of Yongping Prefecture. Now we are relying on you. You took our money and let us come to the banquet. Now that there is a stalemate, you won't be able to turn around and become the shopkeeper, right?
Liu Yu was used to seeing scenes. After seeing Zhang Zhou off, he returned to the banquet courtyard and said loudly: "You must have heard that Zhang Butang did not stop the local mining. This is for you." opportunity. But don’t think about threatening the imperial court with the mining matter... I will make the decision for you."

Be a bullshit boss!
You just take money and don’t do anything!

The attendants around Liu Yu saw that the scene was getting out of control, and hurriedly maintained order: "Everyone, please enjoy the banquet first. Mr. Liu may have to pay a visit to Duke Cai. I will inform you of other matters later."

Many people wanted to gather around Liu Yu and ask questions, but they were blocked by Liu Yu's men.

Liu Yu returned to the back hall of the Yamen and looked very anxious.

"Sir, I heard that something happened in the mine in the past few days." Someone under his command informed him, "It is said that hundreds of people went in vertically and dozens came out horizontally."

Liu Yu said with an annoyed look on his face: "The people looking at the mine are all Jin Yiwei who eat people without spitting out their bones. Were those people tortured alive? How many heads do they have?"

The servant followed and wiped his sweat and said: "After all, it's all for those three melons and two dates. Not to mention Yongping Mansion, even Xishan and Shanxi are no different, but The people over there are more powerful than here.”

Mu Bin's accent is from Shanxi, and he obviously has heard about the excitement of coal mine opening in Datong Prefecture.

However, because the Datong Coal Mine is based on the governor of Datong, which is different from the Yongpingfu Iron Mine, which is directly under the jurisdiction of Zhang Zhou, there are very few troubles in Shanxi.

It also has something to do with the fact that Wang Shouren is a strong man and no one dares to mess with him.

As for Yongping Mansion, Liu Yu himself has no mining responsibilities, and he does not communicate well with the local government. Also, as Yongping Mansion is a suburb of Beijing, there are many powerful officials and gentry families, which led to Liu Yu's arrival. The local government cannot compete with this group of big players.

Liu Yu said: "I should go to Zhang Butang and leave the mining matter to Jizhen. If the officers and soldiers insist on it, the iron ore produced can also be directly used for the affairs of the border town. This can be said to be a win-win situation for both parties." .”

The clerk said: "I'm afraid that Zhang Butang won't spit out the fat meat he got."

"Humph." Liu Yu said, "The local government won't give it, and the border towns won't give it to them. How can it be so easy to hold it in your own hands? You'd better go and talk to Zhang Butang."

……

……

After Zhang Zhou attended the banquet, he returned to the post house.

Zhu Feng followed him into the main hall of the post house, and said with confusion: "Brother Zhang, like that before... but if it makes it very unpleasant, I'm afraid there will be more trouble in the future."

Zhang Zhou said: "Do you think I am a person who is afraid of trouble?"

"No." Zhu Feng said, "But I used to think that if it were anyone else, they wouldn't be able to do many of the things that Brother Zhang can do. The court still needs someone as courageous as Brother Zhang."

Zhang Zhou sat down, and someone immediately offered tea. Zhu Feng wanted to drink it, but Zhang Zhou pressed his hand down.

The meaning is obvious, don't touch even the wine, food and tea in the inn.

If you have a conflict of interest with the local government, you should be careful of the local government trying to get in your way or even harm you. The more unpleasant the situation is, the more you need to be on guard against this.

"I'm not bold, I just don't follow the crowd."

Zhang Zhou said, "Both the government and the public need some extraordinary people like me. Your Majesty also wants to use me to break the stagnant water in the court."

Just as he was talking, Liu Gui came in and said, "Sir, Sun Qianhu is here."

"Let him come in." Zhang Zhou said.

"Uh... it might not be convenient," Liu Guidao said. "Before Sun Qianhu entered the city, he was attacked by someone. There was a fight between the two sides. Sun Qianhu was shot with a bow and arrow."

When Zhu Feng heard this, he stood up and shouted angrily: "Who is so bold?"

In the camp of Ji Town in Santun Camp, thousands of households were guarded by dignitaries, but someone actually fired a cold arrow?Was he shot?
Zhu Feng felt that this was an ancient anecdote. If it had not been done by Tatar spies, those who caught it would have been razed to the ground.

Zhang Zhou glanced at Zhu Feng and said, "Do you know the danger? Come with me and have a look."

……

……

In the civilian alley less than a street away from the post house, there is a Jinyiwei stronghold here. Sun Shangqi was shot in the arm and was bandaging the wound.

Knowing that Zhang Zhou came to visit him, Sun Shangqi quickly stood up and saluted.

"Sun Qianhu is so polite." Zhang Zhou walked over and expressed his condolences, and even helped Sun Shangqi check the wound. "I think it is not serious, but if it is injured on official business, this matter will not be let go. From now on, Jin Yiwei will do more work. , don’t have any scruples anymore, just do it if you need to be ruthless.”

Zhang Zhou's initial purpose in opening local mines was not to cause trouble and to keep a low profile as much as possible.

However, as the benefits of mining increase, the output of Yongpingfu Iron Mine is nearly equivalent to [-]% of the annual iron ore output of the Ming Dynasty, and its value is even more difficult to measure in numbers...

In this case, it is impossible to keep a low profile.

In the face of huge interests, in order to maintain such interests, it is obviously not enough to use the previous tolerant policy.

Moreover, this time Zhang Zhou came to Yongping Mansion to increase the number of iron mines. In the future, Zhang Zhou was going to directly use the army to guard the mines and then use the army to transport them to ensure that the supply of Ming Dynasty iron mines could meet Zhang Zhou's needs. need.

None of them were the needs of the imperial court; they were purely planned and deployed based on Zhang Zhou's vision.

Sun Shangqi said: "Your Majesty, you are serious. A humble position is just to do one's duty. But according to what you said, no one has ever killed anyone before. Every time someone caused trouble, they were punished with sticks, and the brothers were also complaining. .”

Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "I won't do it anymore. I will just use firecrackers and artillery. If you don't use power, how can you shock the world?" (End of Chapter)