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Volume 1: The Arms Dealer¡¯s Feast Chapter 285: Raising Bandits

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    The West does not yet have the classic saying "There are ten thousand Hamlets in the eyes of ten thousand people", but the East has long had the proverb "One kind of rice can feed a hundred kinds of people". The same ten thousand people read the Four Books and Five Classics  The conclusions obtained are also different.

    Some people invented the theory of mind based on the Four Books and Five Classics, some people use it as a moral standard to test themselves, and of course more people use the words of saints as a stepping stone to become an official.

    Yuan Chonghuan, like most scholars, saw benefits in the ocean of the Four Books, Five Classics and Eight-Part Essay.

    Yes, the road to the imperial examination is full of various benefits. If you become a scholar according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, you will be exempted from corvee and will not kneel before the official. If you are good at writing and be selected as a junior student by the county school, you will get six measures of food every month.  It would be even more serious if you pass the provincial examination and become a civil servant, and you will work as a domestic servant to offer your land. Since ancient times, there has been a saying that poor scholars and rich people will be promoted. In addition to being tax-free, the civil servant also has a job.  Regarding the status of officials, looking at the second lords and county magistrates in the county government, most of them are from Juren origin, or they can become the county lords of lower-level counties in one step.  Not to mention winning the Jinshi Gold List.

    Youdao is to serve as an official for thousands of miles just for wealth. So the current Governor Yuan is from Guangdong and serves as the Governor of Jiliao in Liaodong. He has already served as an official for thousands of miles and it is natural for him to be rich.

    It is said that the Fan family in Shanxi killed Mao Wenlong for one million taels of silver, and reorganized Mao Wenlong for one hundred thousand taels of silver to step down. Should he step down? There is still a possibility of a resurgence in the officialdom.  After the news came out, the entire officialdom was in a state of excitement. In everyone's opinion, Mao Wenlong was just a lowly military attache with a poor background, although he had now become the commander-in-chief of the Zuo Army in Pingliao.

    ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? We have read articles by saints.  If we had been replaced by the post of the Zuojun Commander-in-Chief of Pingliao, I would have done a better job than Mao Wenlong - this was also the mainstream thinking in the Beijing court.

    So after the Fan family secretly offered the reward, a large number of officials were appointed - many of them were censor officials raised by the Fan family and other eight major merchants in Shanxi.  Then he began to attack Mao Wenlong unscrupulously.  Even Mao Wenlong's army ate seven pigs and eight sheep in one meal, which was one of Mao Wenlong's crimes. It was so pitiful.  Even if Mao Wenlong had a good appetite, he couldn't eat these thousands of kilograms of meat in one meal. He must have eaten it with his subordinates.

    As for Mao Wenlong, who was timid and fearful of death, with low martial arts skills, etc., he was sent to the palace like snowflakes by a large number of imperial officials, completely ignoring that Dongjiang Town had just completed the two Ming Dynasty battles at the Battle of Dingmao and the Battle of Sarhu.  Hou Jin's great victory - the censor, his original duty is to hear what is said, which means that it is okay to say something wrong.  If the imperial court really takes down Mao Wenlong as the commander-in-chief of the army because of his memorial, then at least the Fan family's 100,000 taels of silver will be obtained.

    As for an official who has reached the level of a supervisor like Yuan Chonghuan, it seems petty to take one hundred thousand taels of silver.  Because Yuan Chonghuan saw from a higher angle - Mao Wenlong of Napi Island was far outside the temple.  With a heavy army in hand, even if the imperial court can depose him, he is more likely to be forced to rebel.  Even if Dongjiang Town does not surrender to the Tatars, it can still be independent. Even if it attacks North Korea from Pidao, the current North Korea and Ming Dynasty cannot stop it.

    Therefore, what Commander Yuan wants to get is the one million taels of silver reward offered by the Fan family. Of course, he will directly lead troops to attack Pi Island and even the Houjin Eight Banners will be defeated. Relying on Commander Yuan's men, they can only dare to do so in front of the Tatars.  The Ning Yuan soldiers guarding the city are definitely unable to do so, but there is no other way.

    Yuan Chonghuan understood this after leading the army for several years, so Yuan Chonghuan issued an order to cut off more than 100,000 yuan of food in Dongjiang Town every year.  This small amount of money and food is a piece of cake for Governor Jiliao who spends millions of taels of silver every year on military expenses.  However, for Dongjiang Town, which has small output and high consumption, this is life-saving food.

    "When Dongjiang Town is starving and dying everywhere, I will take the money and food to hold a Hongmen Banquet near Pi Island. I am not afraid that Mao Wenlong will not take the bait."  One million taels of silver.  Don't look at the millions of taels of silver spent every year for peace and Liaoning, but while I was drinking blood from soldiers in Liaodong, there were still six cabinets and officials from the capital, and the following had to take care of these Ningyuan generals. As for the soldiers at the bottom, there were more or less  It takes years to make up for such a big business - if there is anything less than ice, carbon, etc. on the 4th and 8th festivals, it will offend people.

    The great thing about Yuan Chonghuan, a man with a Jinshi background, who was the governor of Liaodong and the governor of Jiliao, was that when he was a local official, he fed all the big guys in the capital - otherwise there would be so many local officials.  Who among the officials and the cabinet remember who you are, Yuan Chonghuan?

    Therefore, although Yuan Chonghuan handled a lot of money every year, there was not much he could keep. After becoming the governor, Yuan Chonghuan had to support his family as was the custom in the late Ming Dynasty.  Otherwise, who should we rely on during the war? The ones with the highest combat effectiveness are the servants and servants raised by ourselves - Governor Yuan and these servants. In history, after Yuan Chonghuan died, Chen Jisheng was killed and he joined the Tatars of the Later Jin Dynasty.?

    ??????? And the imperial court¡¯s salary is so small that even the master¡¯s staff can¡¯t afford it.  When it comes to raising a family, everyone can only show their magical powers. For example, the guards here have already begun to occupy the land of military households, and the regular soldiers recruited through the recruitment system can only drink the blood of the soldiers - this  The trend of the times is not based on the will of one or two people.  In other words, those who dare to block the rolling wheel of history will be crushed to pieces.

    As for what happened after killing Mao Wenlong, Yuan Chonghuan didn't think much about it. In other words, he was similar to those Yushi Yanguan who madly attacked Mao Wenlong. He thought that if a rough man could do it, he, a person who had read the books of sages, would definitely be able to do it.  Even better - Furthermore, now that Yuan Chonghuan and Governor Yuan are coexisting in harmony with the Tatars, Mao Wenlong took the opportunity to kill the Tatars and arrested many high-ranking Tatar officials, sabotaging his unilateral peace negotiation with the Tatars.  The good thing is really intolerable.

    ¡°Hey, you ask why we need to negotiate peace.  What should we do if we don't negotiate for peace? Now that the Tatars are fighting and causing trouble in Liaodong, the imperial court allocates millions of taels of silver to Ji Liao every year for the peace of Liao. If Mao Wenlong accidentally destroys his established strategy, he will really destroy the Tatars.  If everything is wiped out, the imperial court can still give itself millions of taels of silver per year in pingliao fees. Without the millions of taels of silver in pingliao fees every year, how can Governor Yuan support these thousands of servants?  Without these thousands of servants, Governor Yuan would not be as strong-willed as his subordinate Zu Dashou.

    On this day, Yuan Chonghuan's concubine said after the supervisor got up: "My husband called Mao Wenlong eighty-seven times last night."

    Yuan Chonghuan scolded: "This is a state matter. Women, don't ask."

    The concubine added hesitantly: "My husband called me one million two hundred and seventy-six times last night."

    Thinking of the one million taels of silver already waving to him, Yuan Chonghuan chuckled: "An ancient poem goes: With a hundred thousand taels of silver in your waistband, ride a crane to Yangzhou. After we get the one million taels, our family will go to Yangzhou to have fun together.  Just play. Hahaha."

    However, the good mood that morning arrived at the Commander's Mansion and was shattered by the news from Inspector Yuan's agent who was stationed in Pi Island: "What, there is a sea visitor who sold Pi Dao 10,000 thousand shi of grain and a grain of rice."  Hundreds and hundreds of thousands of catties of sea fish? Those seafarers are so brave, let me find out where they came from?"

    "Destroying a person's wealth is like killing his parents. Governor Yuan's plan was originally flawless, but he didn't expect it to be interrupted by a group of pirates who didn't know what the world was up to.

    The follower below answered tremblingly: "According to legend, they are Australian seafarers. They have a huge iron ship. It can move without sails and is as fast as a flying fish. That big iron ship can net hundreds of thousands of people."  The ice cellar on Phi Island will be full of seafood within a few days."

    Governor Yuan scolded: "You dare to say such nonsense. Those nonsense about a big iron ship moving without sails can only deceive the foolish men and women in the village. How can a net of more than 100,000 catties of fish come from this world?"  Such a big fishing net.¡±

    The personal attendant replied: "Report to the Commander, this big iron ship not only goes to Pi Island, but also to the offshore waters of Tianjin Wei. Those Australian seafarers also pulled many refugees from Tianjin on board, saying they were going to Australia.  Open up wasteland and work. It is said that as long as you work for the Australians, you will be treated as servants. Tens of thousands of people have been taken away several times. Even the court is said to be helpless with these big iron ships. There are rumors that the court spent money to buy many Australian ships.  Firearms. Used in countering rebellion in Shaanxi."

    Governor Yuan cursed bitterly: "Ignore your mother. Australians, I'm not done with you."

    "It's just that even if the big iron ship of the Australians doesn't come to this land in Liaodong, and Governor Yuan can't control the Tianjin Guard at the feet of the emperor, it will be useless for the time being.  It would be okay if the Australians' support for Dongjiang Town was limited to one or two times.  If it goes on for a long time, I'm afraid Dongjiang Town won't need the support of the imperial court. Although North Korea, which is very close to Dongjiang Town's Pi Island, doesn't have much money, it really has a lot of goods to offer.

    And the food and wages of this Pi Island have been cut off for a long time.  I'm afraid that Mao Wenlong will have to stand on his own if he doesn't stand on his own - since he can live well without the money and food allocated by the Ming government, who of the following officials, especially those with military power, will take the Ming government in their eyes?

    After scolding.  Governor Yuan asked in a low voice: "What's the news from the Lord of Houjin?"

    The personal attendant also whispered: "After this autumn, Hou Jin wants to bypass Ningyuan and take advantage of Mongolia to plunder south. The king's intention is that he can cooperate with the reinforcements of the governor under the city of Beijing to fake a fight and show it to the emperor and ministers of the Ming Dynasty.  Looking at the loyalty of the overseer, it doesn¡¯t matter if some Aha slaves are killed or injured for this. What matters is the agreement with the overseer.¡±

    "I understand, you sent someone to send a message. I, Yuan Chonghuan, will definitely abide by the peace and mutual trade agreement. I will never take advantage of the empty gold to send troops. Tell them that I can only do this well if you are good. Speaking of which, without the Tatars, I will  What¡¯s the point of what Governor Ji Liao is doing? Hahahaha¡±

    I saw this follower imitating the etiquette of Hou Jin.? Qian: "Scum."

    The Lushan sailed south from Tianjin Wei Road and recruited refugees to buy and sell goods in Zhili, Shandong, Zhejiang, Guangdong and other places. The control over the firearms gradually loosened - the Ming Dynasty itself did not prohibit folk firearms. In theory, your family has one  The Hongyi cannon is fine, at least the government has no right to interfere, not to mention the simpler Big Tiger Cannon and Australian Quick Gun. These days, the best quality firecrackers are hidden among the people.

    To this day, Australians are still open to do business in the Ming Dynasty. As long as there is money or goods that Australia needs, there is nothing that cannot be sold - of course, what Australians cannot produce now will naturally have to be supplied in a limited quantity and at a higher price  .

    Most places have little resistance to the Australian steel cannons and steel guns, and they often can't help but buy them - even if calculated at a steel-making price of 100 yuan, it is still a profit, not to mention the inner wall of the Australian cannons is as smooth as a mirror.  The inner walls of the pit-shaped cannons of the Ming Dynasty were very different.

    Of course, the officials bought it to equip their servants - some richer provinces also used treasury silver to buy it for city defense. Of course, it was the servants who operated it - such an expensive thing.  What to do if the guardsmen who eat chaffy vegetables are allowed to take it and run away.  This was all bought with free money.

    There was no shortage of silver in the Ming Dynasty, and most people even used silver to trade.  Copper coins and the like are almost out of the larger market, but these silver coins are all in the warehouses of private people or a wealthy businessman.  What is always short of silver is the national treasury - according to historical records researched by the Lushan History Group, the taxes of the Qing Dynasty were more than ten times that of the Ming Dynasty - the tax revenue of the Ming Dynasty's treasury was only a few million taels of silver a year, while the Qing Dynasty's tax revenue was tens of millions of taels of silver.  .

    ??????????????? Kang Mazi also created a formula that says this is a fixed number and will never increase its value. Relatively speaking, this means that this is a fixed number and will never decrease its value.  For those who have donated land after winning the election, local officials will have to dig out the reduced taxes from other places to increase taxes, otherwise they will have to wait for participation.  A phenomenon in the Qing Dynasty is that you sold the land but did not move (this is very rare under the road system). If the subsequent owner of the land does not have to pay taxes, the former owner still has to pay the tax on the previous land even if he sold the land.  ¡ª¡ªand families without a background obviously cannot afford to buy land.

    Now a big project of the history research group is how to save the Ming Dynasty financially.  Militarily speaking, it is easier to say, as long as the Lushan Passengers are willing to take action.  Whether it is the Eight Banners of the Manchu Qing Dynasty or the rebels from all walks of life, they are all dead.  But if there is no economic strategy that can save the Ming Dynasty, then after killing Li Zicheng, Chuang kings like Zhang Zicheng and Wang Zicheng will still emerge in an endless stream - you must know that the first generation of Chuang king Gao Yingxiang has actually been killed long ago  .

    After several months of reading and analyzing the data, Zhang Leping of the history group concluded in the large classroom in Lushan: "The problems of the Ming Dynasty appeared in several aspects. First, the royal family. At this time, the royal family had experienced population expansion for hundreds of years.  It has become a big vampire for the Ming Dynasty. The cost of feeding these royal families in the late Ming Dynasty was as heavy as the government's burden of supporting the children of the Eight Banners in the late Qing Dynasty.

    Regarding this matter, the only option is to reduce the feudal king's expenses or wait for the peasant army to kill these feudal princes one by one as fat pigs.  At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong and the Qing troops who entered the Pass killed a lot of people. But now, it is hard to say whether they will still have this chance with us.

    The second question and the third question are actually the same, that is, the privileges of officials and the big landowners and businessmen.  In this era, big businessmen and landowners all maintained a group of scholars in their homes for tax exemption. These scholars actually monopolized the official class of the Ming Dynasty in the late Ming Dynasty because of their abundant study resources.  There is no way to advance from a humble family.  Otherwise, the Peasant Army would not have received so many outstanding talents later on.  The largest force among them is the Donglin Party.  Simply relying on ** to eliminate them doesn't seem to be a good idea.

    The fourth problem is the traitors of the eight major businessmen in Shanxi. This can be solved by annihilating them with force.  But Shanxi seems to be a bit far away for us.  If it were Zhejiang and Guangdong, it would be easy to say, just go up and make a surprise attack.  "

    Jin Sanduo asked: "How did the Qing Dynasty solve these problems?"

    Zhang Leping said: "Well, the children of the Eight Banners replaced the vassals of the Ming Dynasty. In order to support these children of the Eight Banners, the Manchu and Qing courts occupied a large amount of good farmland. However, the land enclosure movement during the Kangxi reign of Shunzhi also left countless Han people homeless.  Return. Of course, these lands can only meet the daily needs of the children of the Eight Banners. As soon as the imperial court went to war, the Tatars of the Qing court began to sell their officials, starting from fourth-rank officials. Some were empty, some were scattered, and even women's concubines could spend money.  Buy, not only sell officials but also sell vacancies. As long as you are willing to spend money, you can reach the prefect level in one step.

    The Qing court called the sale of officials and porridge as "kaizhai". The Ming Dynasty also had the idea of ??"kaizhong", but it only sold people with status as students, that is, scholars, and it was called regular tribute.  Although it is theoretically possible to take the imperial examination, few peopleThis is a bad thing, because articles are graded into six grades. If you are graded five, you will be fined, and if you are graded six, you will be dismissed. So the donation is in vain, so people who donate usually just want to be exempted from corvee and not kneel before the official.  And the identity of doing business everywhere without the need for guidance.  "

    Jin Sanduo asked: "What is the chance of success if we persuade the Ming court to start selling officials? This is much better than adding Liao pay or something like that."

    Zhang Leping said: "It's almost not even 10%. The emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty had the final say, but in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, there was no consent from the cabinet, and the emperor's words could not be regarded as imperial decrees. Let's start by embarrassing these officials.  There's not much difference between selling your official position and killing them, it's a polite thing to do, and whoever does it will be infamy for the rest of his life."

    Jin Sanduo asked: "The Tatars are small, and in the later period, Beijing was defeated by the peasant army. But if the financial situation of the Ming Dynasty does not improve, then our largest trading partner can only wait for death? Well, if we persuade  If you try to persuade the Ming Dynasty court to adopt a system of grain payment for both officials and gentry under the One Whip Law, how likely is it to pass?"

    Zhang Leping discussed with several people in the history group for a while and then replied: "The probability of officials and gentry receiving grain through one whip method is definitely not higher than that of letting the Ming Dynasty court sell officials and nobles."

    Jin Sanduo asked again: "Then how meaningful is what we are doing now? Should we contact the Dashun or Daxi regime in advance?"

    Zhang Leping affirmed: "It still makes sense. We have taken away some of the refugees, so that more people can get job opportunities in the Ming Dynasty, and social stability will be strengthened - this belongs to the butterfly effect. The specific effect  Let¡¯s look at it again. We sold a large amount of arms to the Ming Dynasty government, and they did not accompany these arms transactions. Using these slightly more advanced new weapons, the Ming Dynasty government was able to eliminate the peasant army faster, so that for the peasants  In other words, the additional taxes levied will be less.¡±

    "Can the amount of money we sell produce a butterfly effect in the military and change history?"

    Zhang Leping said: "So we have to sell more." (To be continued.)
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