The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 260 Raising the Banner of Integrating Labor Tax and Land Tax
Thinking of this, Lu felt extremely unwilling. How was his son Yunwen any worse than that guy Zhu Xiong Ying? Why did all the good things go to him? At this moment, he thought that there were many people who opposed Zhu Xiong Ying, so he might as well take this opportunity to win them over, which would also be of great benefit to his son Yunwen.

The policy was quickly implemented, and people in various places cheered.

Since the implementation of the land tax reform, the taxes that ordinary people need to pay have been a fixed amount, and there are no more various other exorbitant taxes.

This was a great thing for them, as even the landlords and officials who had oppressed them were gone.

People in other places were extremely envious, and now the implementation of the land tax reform has expanded from Fengyang Prefecture to the entire Southern Zhili.

This way, they are also within this range, which is definitely a good thing for them.

However, the powerful families located in these areas are in a much worse situation.

Some with decent means were able to barely make ends meet, but those from poorer backgrounds had no choice but to flee to other places.

They were counting on robbing more money from these people, but now that these messy taxes and levies are gone, they can no longer collect more money.

This was an extremely desperate situation for them.

Jiading Prefecture.

The heads of several prominent families gathered in this place for a secret meeting.

"We can't let this continue. If we keep giving way, who knows how far it will spread!"

"We gave up the land we worked so hard to get out of here. If he continues to expand, won't we have to give up other places too?"

"That's right. The imperial court can't just ignore our lives. If things continue like this, we won't even have any land left. It will all be taken by those lowly people. How can we maintain our status then?"

They themselves don't need to pay taxes, and they take away most of the grain grown below.

However, now that the poll tax has been converted into a land tax, in addition to these land taxes, they also need to bear a high poll tax.

This means that although land can generate income, it won't generate much income.

This left these traditionally affluent families, who valued both farming and scholarship, momentarily at a loss.

At this moment, a clan leader spoke.

“We are all from noble families, how can we be compared with those peasants? Since the court is unjust, then don’t blame us for being unjust!”

"Zhu Yuanzhang was just a beggar before, but now he's the emperor. If he can do it, so can we. Why don't we rebel!"

"There are plenty of people in this world who don't respect Zhu Yuanzhang. If we combine our strengths from all sides, we will surely succeed!"

Upon hearing this, some people hesitated, while others were extremely excited.

After Zhu Xiong Ying, the grandson of the emperor, took over the reins of government, he offended many people.

First, there were the noble families of Huaixi. These people had considerable influence in the army, and if they were to unite, they would form an extremely powerful force.

Next came the monks and Taoists. In the Ming Dynasty, monks and Taoists were extremely powerful forces. They not only controlled a large population and land, but also a large amount of gold and silver treasures.

As a result of Zhu Xiong Ying's actions, the losses were severe, and subsequently, all monks and Taoist priests had to pass an exam to obtain the corresponding ordination certificate.

Now that the Yuan Dynasty has been destroyed, there are certainly many who are still dissatisfied on the northern grasslands. If these powerful clans were to unite, they would be an extremely powerful force.

When they talked about this part, their breathing became rapid, and they became more and more excited.

If they could seize this opportunity to overthrow Zhu Yuanzhang and become emperors, the benefits they would gain would be incomparable to what they have now. An old man sitting at the front shook his head.

"It's not as simple as you think. The Ming Dynasty still has a large army, and many of its people want to rebel. How many people do you think will respond?"

"Or rather, with the troops you've hastily put together, are you even capable of dealing with the most elite army of the Ming Dynasty, an army that even the Mongols in the north couldn't defeat!"

Upon hearing this, everyone felt as if they had been doused with a bucket of cold water.

They hadn't really thought about all that before; they were only thinking about how Zhu Yuanzhang could rise from a beggar to become an emperor.

Their starting point was much higher than Zhu Yuanzhang's. There's no reason why they couldn't do what even a beggar could do.

"Then what do you suggest we do? We can't just sit here and wait to die!"

At this moment, the clan chief stroked his beard and said with a smile.

"Don't worry, we can just stay behind the scenes. We won't necessarily have to take action ourselves. There are still quite a few scholars in the court. If these scholars from Shandong rebel, the court will definitely be thrown into chaos!"

"No matter who governs the court, it will always need us scholars to help stabilize the country. If it weren't for us, the Ming Dynasty would have been in chaos long ago!"

"It would be better to let these scholars wade through the waters first. As long as they muddy the waters, they can profit from it!"

"I believe that the civil and military officials of the court will not offend so many powerful families because of a mere child!"

Everyone nodded in agreement and began preparations.

At this time, Prince Zhu Gang of Jin, with his troops, also began to inspect various places.

At first, these powerful families did not take Zhu Xiong Ying's orders seriously.

For so many years, the imperial decrees have never been able to reach the county level.

The local gentry and powerful families in Shenzhen governed the area. Even if the emperor of the Ming Dynasty had great abilities, he would not be able to govern the area well without them.

However, when Prince Zhu Gang of Jin led his troops, he killed several families who disobeyed orders.

The remaining families panicked, realizing that what Zhu Xiong Ying had said was true.

In a corner of Yingtian Prefecture, a group of people gathered, thinking about how to use birth control to save lives.

The leader was none other than Boyarn Haibie.

"If you all can help me rescue the Prince of Qi, you will enjoy endless wealth and glory after returning to the grasslands. I, the princess, mean what I say!"

As soon as he finished speaking, someone standing next to him said somewhat awkwardly.

“Princess, we believe you on this point, but the problem is that we don’t have much strength at hand right now. It’s simply unrealistic to expect to rescue Prince Qi from the heavily guarded Ming army!”

"I think we should try to contact Princess Minmin. No matter what, Princess Minmin is still a member of our Great Yuan. Even if she is married to the Prince of Qin of the Great Ming, she would definitely not stand by and watch someone die in such a situation!"

Upon hearing this, Boyalen Haibie's expression became extremely complicated.

They had never seen each other since they arrived in the Ming Dynasty.

It wasn't until the scouts were completely wiped out that he learned Minmin Timur's plan had failed, and that his aunt was probably having a hard time now.

(End of this chapter)