lady, please calm down

Chapter 347 Tian Gai
October [-]th.

On the outskirts of Fucheng on Hebei Road, more than [-] squires and senior officers of the Yongjing Army were captured yesterday and were interrogated and executed at noon.

For a time, the few squires in Fucheng and surrounding counties who had not openly participated in the rebellion remained silent.

Physical elimination is indeed more powerful and effective than logical persuasion.

In the afternoon of that day, officials of all sizes in Fucheng and Liu E were escorted to Tokyo.

Not long after, Chen Chu visited Yao Zongjiang, the largest landowner in Shawo Town, Dongfucheng.

It was said to be a visit, but when a whole team of soldiers wearing armor and carrying guns arrived at the Yao family compound, they frightened the Yao family.

It's not like he didn't know about the killings by the boundary river yesterday and outside Fucheng today.

He tremblingly welcomed Chen Chu into his home, and was careful to say a few words of flattery, but he heard Chen Chu say: "Recently, some evil gentry have colluded with the rebels to cause trouble in Fucheng. Yesterday, the imperial army suppressed the rebels with overwhelming force. The thieves were either defeated or escorted to the capital here." There is a lot of turmoil and the people are panicking. I am here to express my condolences."

When Yao Zongjiang heard this, he immediately felt relieved. The King of Chu had said that the people he killed were all evil gentry, and he came here to offer condolences. Doesn't it mean that his Yao family were good gentry?

"The imperial army is here. The people of Fucheng are waiting for the rain as if they have been in drought for a long time. Fortunately, the king of Chu protects me. I am willing to give 3000 taels of silver, a hundred pigs, and ten sheep to comfort the army. I just want to show my heart."

As Yao Zongjiang spoke, his voice lowered involuntarily, because he saw Chen Chu take out a letter from his sleeve and put it on the table with a half-smile.

He recognized the envelope. It was the letter he had exchanged with Liu E a few days ago.

In the cold late autumn, a thin layer of sweat broke out on Yao Zongjiang's forehead. He knelt down with a thud and said with trembling lips: "Prince Chu."

But he was speechless.

When Liu E took power in Fucheng, local officials either directly supported him or turned a blind eye. The same was true for the surrounding gentry.

Either they directly voted for Liu E, or they had some secret contacts.

There is nothing that can be done about it. Even if Liu E is not optimistic about the uprising, in the past month, Fucheng has been under the control of Liu E and others. Yao Zongjiang cannot avoid showing his goodwill in private and offering some gold and silver to ensure the safety of his family. .

But there is no way to say this!
It is a serious crime to commit treason. Who cares whether you were forced by the situation?
Even if you only support one tael of silver, you will kill the nine tribes!

Yao Zongjiang came down in a cold sweat
Chen Chu didn't seem to notice that he was kneeling down. He turned his head and looked out the window and said: "In order to commend the righteous people who adhered to morality during the Fucheng Rebellion and never colluded with Liu E, the imperial court specially made several "Zhongliang's Home" 'The plaque was written by Her Royal Highness the Princess herself, and one of the plaques includes Yao Yuanwai. A few days later, Yao Yuanwai remembered to clean the house and welcome the angels."

"."

Uh. Yao Zongjiang couldn't react for a moment, and subconsciously glanced at the letter on the desk.

Although he has not organized his servants to join the rebel army, his butt is definitely not clean!
Not being punished was considered a blessing, so how could he be commended?

"Thank you, Your Highness, for your grace, and thank you, King Chu." Yao Zongjiang, who was so distraught, hurriedly touched his forehead to the ground.

Unexpectedly, Chen Chu sighed again and said: "Although the rebellion in Fucheng has subsided, yesterday and today, 5 to [-] blind and obedient people were taken in. However, the rebels have looted all the food from every village. These tens of thousands It is a headache for people to eat and chew every day. Yao Yuan has been in his hometown for a long time, so you still need to wait and find a solution to this matter. "

"I have two thousand tons of grain stored in my home, and I would like to offer it to the King of Chu to relieve the hardship of the people!"

"Good! Yao Yuanwai relieves the country's worries and solves the problems of the people! He can be called a model of gentry in the world, and he is worthy of the four words of 'House of Loyalty and Liang'!"

"The King of Chu praises you! This is the duty of a gentry."

Yao Zongjiang, who was still kneeling on the ground, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeves, but before he could catch his breath, Chen Chu said again: "Hey! Donating food can relieve temporary worries, but it cannot relieve lifelong worries! Those tens of thousands More than [-]% of the people have no land, and they will feel uneasy if they have no land. If they are not given a land to live in, trouble will inevitably arise in the future. Can Yao Yuanwai teach me a way?"

The meat show is here!

From the moment Chen Chu opened his mouth to ask for food, Yao Zongjiang knew that the King of Chu was here to blackmail him. The plaque written by His Highness was both a dignity and a life-saving talisman, but the word 'loyalty' probably required a lot of 'sincerity' to replace it.

Yao Zongjiang knew that two thousand tons of grain was not worth the King of Chu's visit in person. When he heard him mention the land, he had already made a quick calculation. He had more than [-] acres of fertile land at home, so paying half of it should be enough to show his sincerity!

Four thousand acres of fertile land makes my heart ache and my heart tremble when I think about it, but compared to the lives of a whole family, it is nothing.

Yao Zongjiang gritted his teeth and said: "King Chu, my family is willing to donate [-] acres of fertile land to resettle the villagers!"

"Oh?" Chen Chu looked away from the window, glanced at Yao Zongjiang who was kneeling below, and said "oh" again.

Saying 'oh' twice in succession has different meanings.

The first sound seemed to be a surprise to Yao Zongjiang for his willingness to take the initiative to offer his land, and the second, more prosaic "oh" meant that he knew and that was all.

But, not satisfied.

Yao Zongjiang's sweat that had just subsided broke out again, and he quickly changed his words: "King Chu, my family is willing to donate [-] acres of land!"

Chen Chu lowered his eyelids and lightly pressed the envelope on the table with his knuckles, making a slight "click" sound.

"Dedicate seven thousand acres!"

"Tuk Tuk Tuk"

"Eight or eight thousand"

The sound of knocking on the table finally stopped. As if Chen Chu had just discovered Yao Zongjiang kneeling in front of him, he hurriedly stood up and walked to him to help him up, "Ah! Why is Yao Zongjiang kneeling down! Please get up quickly."

"Thank you, King Chu." Yao Zongjiang showed a smile that was uglier than crying.

Once the [-] acres of fertile farmland is gone, only [-] acres of farmland are left at home. This is no longer about sucking out the bones and marrow, but eating them dry and wiping them all away, leaving only some dead skin on your feet!

But compared to the life of the whole family, it is better to give it up!

After sitting down again, Chen Chu finally gave Yao Zongjiang some relatively good news, "Yao Yuanwai is dedicated to relieving the country's worries, and he cannot let you lose all your money. Your land was purchased by the imperial court, but now the country is in dire straits. It will be temporarily paid in the form of five-year treasury bonds, with an annual interest of [-], and the principal and interest will be paid after five years. What does Yao Yuanwai think?"

"Thank you, King Chu, for your consideration. These treasury bonds are naturally excellent."

Can he say no?

If Chen Chu had said this from the beginning, Yao Zongjiang must have felt that the other party was naked blackmail.

But I thought I was going to get it for free, but then I found out that it was a treasury bond, and I felt a little better.

Even if it cannot be redeemed after five years, it will still be the same as before, and it will be given in vain.

But what if it can really be paid?
Finally there is some hope.
At the beginning of the Shen Dynasty, Chen Chu left the Yao family, and Yao Zongjiang saw them off. When they parted, Chen Chu smiled and gave a sincere suggestion, "Exceptor Yao, if you want to enrich your family property, there is no need to keep looking at the fields. In the past two days, can you Go to Fucheng and find out how the Huaibei merchants who came here with the army make money."

Chen Chu planned to set Yao Zongjiang as a benchmark.

With the Xuandemen incident and the Fucheng Rebellion, Chen Chu might become the butcher of the gentry.

But a healthy society is indispensable for scholars, farmers, industry and commerce. Chen Chu neither intends nor is able to kill all the scholars.

Even in the revolutions of later generations, the 'evil gentry' and the 'enlightened gentry' must be distinguished from the gentry.

Naturally, those who were killed were the evil gentry, and those who were willing to follow the footsteps of the King of Chu were the enlightened gentry.

On October 23, the plaque of "House of Zhongliang" written by Jiarou was delivered to Shawo Town, Fucheng. Chen Chu personally participated in the plaque awarding ceremony. Upon request, they all came to the scene.

In addition, all surviving local gentry received invitations.

With such a big card, Yao Zongjiang was extremely satisfied. In recent days, his depressed mood due to the loss of a large amount of family property was somewhat relieved.

At the banquet that day, Chen Chu asked Yao Zongjiang to accompany him and drank a few glasses of wine with the local squire. During the banquet, he said as if joking: "You guys need to work hard. There are still a few more plaques for loyalty. Don't wait until the end and nothing will be left."

It sounded like encouragement, but in everyone's ears it felt more like a threat.

Earning a plaque means gaining dignity. If you don't learn from Yao Yuanwai, you will not only lose dignity in the end, but it will also be uncertain whether you can save your life.

Isn't this an example right now?
Yao Zongjiang gained fame, his mother was granted the title of Ruren, and his son was appointed as a casual official by Wen Linlang.

However, Guan Li, the largest landowner in Fucheng County, was a thief, and his son Guan Jinxian died in the rebellion. All his family property was confiscated, and his head has been hanging outside the city for several days.

Comparing the hatchback, it is more decent.
On October 24, a total of 17 enlightened squires including Qin, Li, Liu and Zhong from Fucheng and Wuyi counties volunteered a total of [-] acres and [-] acres of fertile land in order to appease the war-torn refugees and relieve the country's worries.

As soon as the news came out, there were mixed reactions from various places.The Cheng Biyong tribe of the Jingxi Road rebels, who claimed to fight for the gentry all over the world, immediately became embarrassed.

However, the imperial court's response was very enthusiastic. Not only did they award plaques to the gentry and give them some false titles, but they also invested [-] yuan to build an archway for a total of [-] good gentry at the junction of Fucheng and Wuyi counties. .

A monument was erected under the square and the merits were inscribed on the stone. It was called the monument of the Eighteen Good People by the people nearby.

At the same time, Caizhou Five Days Talk, Daqi Qiyao, and many newspapers supported by the "Newspaper Promotion Association" began to report the various deeds of the Eighteen Good People.

It is said that some reports even make those involved blush after reading them.

Scholars all love fame, and the praise from the entire society, from the court to the people, brings great comfort to these gentry who have just suffered a heavy blood loss.

Anyway, it was impossible for the family property to come back, so they began to emphasize in public that they were 'proactively donating land and relieving the country's worries'.
As for the rumors of persecution and intimidation by the King of Chu?It doesn’t exist. King Chu, he is a very good man!

At this point, the gentry in various places temporarily settled down.

In this way, Cheng Biyong became somewhat conspicuous. In early November, the "Confucian Daily" in Luoyang City on Jingxi Road published an article singing the opposite tune.

They secretly defined the Fucheng gentry as scholar traitors who had succumbed to the king of Chu's lust, and exposed the brutal behavior of the king of Chu who massacred the gentry there.

It was night, and there was a fire in the "Confucian Daily" newspaper office.
On the second day of November, after completely clearing out the defeated troops in the surrounding areas and taking care of the bandits entrenched nearby, the Wuwei Army returned south to Caizhou and changed defenses with Liu Siliang's Jing'an Army, which moved to Tokyo.

The Suppressing Huai Army and the Guangjie Army stayed temporarily.

Fucheng is close to the border between Qi and Jin. Before the Yongjing Army was rebuilt, Chen Chu planned to let Peng Er Ge lead the Guangjie Army to stay there.

After sending off Xiang Jing and others that day, Chen Chu dressed in casual clothes and took only four people, Dabaojian, Tiedan and Erlang Xiaoyi, to Beiwan Village in the northeast of Fucheng.

At noon, Chen Chu arrived at Beiwan Village, which was only six miles away from the Jiehe River.

Cai Si, who was specially transferred from Caizhou before the expedition, had just taken office as the commander-in-chief of Fucheng's land reform the day before yesterday. At this moment, he was measuring the acres of land with a bow shaped like an oversized compass.

When he was in Tongshan, this little Tai Sui was also careless and trouble-making.

But now he is wearing a hat, short brown pants in cold weather, his trousers rolled up to his knees, and the straw sandals on his feet are stained with mud.

Perhaps his attire was too close to the people, but the young farmer beside him who was staring at him to measure the land couldn't help but said: "Don't be biased, don't be biased. Brother Cai, the notice written by the King of Chu is "two ounces per day". Ten acres, if you give me less than the amount, I will not obey! I will definitely go to the King of Chu to sue you."

"Wen San, do you know what the King of Chu looks like, so you went to sue me? If you push Lai Lai again, I will give two cents of your land to Widow Wei next door!"

Chase scolded with a smile.

This made the people nearby who were waiting for their land burst into laughter, but Widow Wei raised her eyebrows and said happily: "Hey, Brother Cai, it's settled. Later, when you finish your work, I will invite you home for a drink." .”

This time, the laughter became even louder.

Cai Si was no longer a child at the age of 14. He had never seen this scene before. He immediately smiled and said: "Your family's light wine is so delicious. Sister, why don't you feed me something else."

Amid the lively laughter and curses, Cai Si finished measuring the land allocated to Wen San, wiped the mud on his hands, called for the staff in the same group, and signed the 20-year contract for the [-]-percent field lease on the spot.

Wen San took the deed and looked left and right, grinning.

"Wen San, can you read? Can you understand shit?"

The villagers from the same village mocked first, then turned to Cai Si and said, "Brother Cai, is it my turn?"

"It's my turn!" Widow Wei took the lead and grabbed Cai Si's arm, trying to pull it aside.

"Sister Wei, are you in a hurry? It's not like we can walk here!"

After saying that, Cai Si broke away from Widow Wei's arm and waved towards the distance instead, saying: "Sister-in-law of the Zhang family, come here. I'll measure your family first. You better go back early. It's cold outside and the little ones can't eat." wind."

As soon as he finished speaking, all the villagers turned their heads and looked over.

But more than ten feet away, he saw a lady about 27 or [-] years old, wearing thin coarse clothes, holding two young children on the left and right, and an eleven or twelve-year-old girl standing beside her.

Eleven or twelve years old, which is not too young anymore, but this girl's pants only reached her knees, exposing a section of her legs that were white from the cold.

Nowadays, it is quite indecent for such a big girl to expose her body.

A mother and three sons, all of whom were wearing rags and rags, looked like they were from a poor family, but the villagers looked at them with unkind eyes.

Na Wensan couldn't help but murmured: "Can her family also divide the land?"

The voice was not loud, but it attracted the villagers nearby to nod in agreement, obviously surprised and dissatisfied that the 'Sister-in-law of the Zhang family' was given the land.

The Zhang family's sister-in-law hesitated for a moment, then led the child over and said in a low voice: "Master Cai, can my family also be allocated a field?"

"Of course it is possible. Didn't the propaganda team come to tell us? As long as there are men in the family and the ability to farm, they can get a piece of land."

Cai Si explained, but Wen San, who was standing nearby and watching the fun, said: "Brother Cai, don't you know? Her men are serving in the Yongjing Army! Before the prince came, the Yongjing Army took away all our food. It’s so annoying! They are used to bullying others, and they even fight against the prince’s army! Why would such people share her land?”

One sentence made Zhang's sister-in-law's face turn red.

The five-year-old daughter on the left saw the unkind eyes around her focused on her family. She tugged at the corner of her mother's clothes in fear and whispered in a tearful voice: "Mom, let's go home, Niuniu is afraid."

The Zhang family's sister-in-law hesitated. Who wants to be looked down upon if she can do something about it? But she knew very well what twenty acres of fertile land meant.

Seeing this, Cai Si glared at Wen San and said, "The notice says that if there are men, there will be fields!"

"His men are still being imprisoned by the prince, and no one will plant the land even if they are given to him," Wen San added.

Last winter, after Wen San's family paid food to the Yuanwai master, they were raided again by the Yongjing Army with "money from thieves". The family almost starved to death, so they had great resentment towards the Yongjing Army.

The Zhang family's sister-in-law is a military household settled in Beiwan Village from other places. In the past, he did not dare to say anything when the Yongjing Army was tyrannical, but now that the Yongjing Army has been wiped out, Wen San vented his resentment to the Zhang family.

Although she occasionally laughed and cursed, Cai Si, who was always smiling, finally frowned at this moment, pointed at Zhang's sister-in-law and said to everyone: "You were bullied before, was it her family that bullied you?"

"That's not true, but his man is on duty in the Yongjing Army."

"How did you know that the eldest brother of the Zhang family is willing to join the Yongjing Army? There are not many young men to catch? Look at this family. If the eldest brother of the Zhang family was the one who was good at exploiting, how would her family be like this?"

"."

Wen San couldn't answer, but Cai Si was still unfinished and continued: "The one who bullied you is Na Xie Zaidao. He is a corrupt official and an evil gentry! At that time, you didn't dare to say anything. Why are you taking offense at other people's women and children now? Brother Wen San, if I If I hear that you bully them again, I will report this matter to the Anti-Violence Team!"

"Don't dare, don't dare!"

Wen San immediately shrank his neck in fear. After the Liu E Rebellion, the civil and military forces in Fucheng were almost wiped out, and the basic power to maintain order was gone. The Anti-Evil Squadron was the organization that deployed personnel from the Suppressing Huai Army to maintain order. .

In just a few days, they not only wiped out all the bandits and strongmen within a hundred miles, but also all the thugs in the village who loved to bully good people.

Wen San was afraid that he would be taken to the wild and beheaded as a sinister force, so he did not dare to say anything.

Cai Si gave up and picked up the bow again to measure the land of the Zhang family. When he turned around, he saw a familiar figure standing not far away and looking at him with a smile. Cai Si was stunned and couldn't help but said in surprise: "Principal?"

After that, he raised his legs and ran over.

"Why are you here, principal?" Since joining the army, the two of them have been in very different positions, making it difficult for them to meet. This is the first time they have met in recent months.

Chen Chu looked Cai Si up and down and said with a smile, "Is it cold?"

"Hey, it's not cold. Is the principal coming to inspect the field reform work?"

"Well, there are no outsiders here, just call me brother-in-law."

"Hey, brother-in-law."

"Come on, take me over there and take a look."

(End of this chapter)