First Minister of Ming Dynasty

Zhu Liangzu was still unconvinced, but when his family members were arrested, his fighting spirit was half lost, and his subordinates lost their fighting spirit. Coupled with the siege of Xu Da and Chang Yuchun, Zhu Liangzu was finally defeated and captured.

In less than a day, Xuancheng successfully fell into the hands of Zhu's army due to internal strife.

It's just that their internal strife is a bit weird. In other places, it may be that some people want to fight and some people want to surrender.

But here in Xuancheng, because of grabbing credit, they fought each other!

But when these forces gathered in Zhu's army's camp, a brutal fight began.

This is really sad for those who hear it, and tears for those who see it.

The first was Yang Zhongying, one of his arms was still bleeding and his face was pale, but it didn't affect his quarrel at all.

"Don't be rude, didn't you run away? What face do you have to claim merit?"

"Bah! I'm here to open the city gate to welcome Master Wang. If you don't believe me, you can ask General Xu to testify!"

Yang Zhongying said with a sneer, "Why did you greet Master Wang? You pretended to surrender because you obviously couldn't escape. You bastard, your conscience is rotten!"

"Fart! Fart! I have already written a letter of surrender to Zhu Jiajun, and I am the one who sincerely takes refuge in you. You are all fakes!"

"Isn't it just surrendering the letter? I have it too!" Yang Zhongying argued.

At this time, those rich households couldn't listen anymore, "Stop arguing, you are all rebels of the Yuan court, and we are the loyal ministers who are loyal to Zhu's army!"

"You guys fart!" Yang Zhongying was anxious, "You paid me to guard Xuancheng, why didn't you say it?"

"I, we were holding on to you, a tartar hawk... But, but you didn't hold on either?"

"Bah! I'm not a fool, why should I be your watchdog!"

Yang Zhongying scolded with confidence, but Zhu Liangzu, who was captured, felt that his self-esteem had been seriously hurt. I am a fool, I am so stupid, really!

I only knew that someone had surrendered to the Red Thief, but I didn't expect that all of you are twenty-five!

I am so wronged!

Zhu Yuanzhang, as long as you give me a chance, I will surrender and let me work for you!

Such a group of loyal ministers and generals of the Yuan Dynasty can get together, it is really a blessing for the Yuan Dynasty, or a great blessing!

At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhang Ximeng came, and Bie Buhua quickly knelt down, Yang Zhongying also endured the pain, and crawled on the ground, and the rest of the people also knelt down, not daring to lift their heads, just waiting for Lao Zhu's sentence .

But what is surprising is that Zhu Yuanzhang passed them and walked towards the gate of the camp. There were dozens of militiamen from Ningguo Road, standing beside Wu Datou.

Old Zhu came over and asked, "Wu Datou, why do you let the distinguished guests stand at the gate of the camp, why don't you go in?"

Wu Datou smiled bitterly, "Boss, they said that I am humble and not as honorable as those people, so I am waiting here..."

noble?

Are you misunderstanding these two words?

As far as their virtue is concerned, is it considered noble?

Zhang Ximeng is very clear about the thoughts of the common people. This group of people includes generals of the Yuan court, militia marshals, celebrities and wealthy households. If you pick any one at random, they are much nobler than them, and they are an existence that they can't wait for.

Now even if they surrendered to Zhu's army, they would have to be divided into ranks and ranks!

Zhang Ximeng took the initiative to smile and said: "Everyone, you were the first to respond to the Zhu family's army, and then organized the militia. This time we marched over, and you transported food and grass, and also guided the road. You have contributed the most. It is said that you carried us into Xuancheng. It's too much!"

Old Zhu said with a smile: "Mr. Zhang is well said, it is exactly what we want to say, you guys are welcome, come in with us, clean up the dust for you, and drink a cup of celebration wine!"

In this way, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhang Ximeng pulled a few militia leaders, and Wu Datou followed, huh huh huh, over a large group of nobles who surrendered, and directly entered the camp of the Chinese army.

Zhu Yuanzhang arranged for the big guys to sit down, and sure enough someone brought drinks, Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile: "We want to ask the big guys, is the play by Wu Baihu good?"

"Okay! Great! We only wanted to follow Zhu Jiajun after watching that play. That's great!"

Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile: "The big guy must want to hear our statement the most. You can tell the big guy that it's not a show! It's true! The Zhu family army is here, and it's for you to decide!"

This sentence from Lao Zhu instantly ignited everyone's emotions!

Zhang Ximeng added: "Equally distribute the acres, clear up unjust cases, and eliminate exorbitant taxes. These are all things we are doing, and they are also our unshakable bottom line. I don't think we will choose to give up or make a big discount because of anyone's factors. You can Don't worry. I will arrange people to go down soon to check the household registration of the land... All the militias are to assist in the distribution of the land. The big guys can't mess with the rules now, they must be solid and effective, and promote the equalization of the land. This time, after it is done , there will be no famine for 20 years!"

Zhang Ximeng and Zhu Yuanzhang regarded the common people as honored guests, and first explained the policy of land equalization, which reassured everyone.

"Everyone talk about it, if there is any request, we will do our best to help solve it?"

Several militia leaders looked at it, what else could they ask for?

"Well... can you let Master Wu come to our side to act! Everyone loves to watch it!"

When Wu Datou heard it, his head grew three times.

His voice is broken, and if this continues, he probably won't be able to speak in the future.

Zhang Ximeng said with a smile: "Since everyone likes to watch, there can't be only one theater troupe... How about you recommend some smart people from the countryside and let them come to study. We not only need to learn opera, but also understand policies and current affairs. .In the future, every time before acting, I will tell the big guys. Only if we are all clear-eyed, we will not be deceived by the bad guys, and we will not believe any nonsense about Zhu Jiajun's red hair and green eyes, right?"

These militiamen nodded frequently, "Yes, this time we understand that Zhu Jiajun is different from those people!"

Zhang Ximeng said: "It's really different. Their hearts are dirty, and they usually like to scare the common people. Now that they meet Zhu Jiajun, they think that Zhu Jiajun must be more terrifying and hideous than them. Otherwise, how can so many people be willing to obey? Zhu Jiajun’s! They don’t understand at all that Zhu Jiajun didn’t use his fists to scare the common people...but reasoned with the common people, stood with the big guys, and exchanged sincerity for sincerity! This is the greatest magic weapon for us to be invincible!”

These militia leaders praised in unison, and vowed to take these words back home, so that the villagers will listen carefully and remember them in their hearts.

After finishing the biggest task, it's the turn of this group of weirdos.

"If you want to kill, kill it!" Zhu Liangzu was the first to speak, and just when the big guy thought he was going to be Dayuan Zhongliang, this man added, "If you don't kill, I am willing to die!"

Immediately made the big guy flinch, does this count as using the most arrogant tone and saying the most embarrassing words?

Zhu Yuanzhang pondered: "You have served the Yuan court for so long, how can you write it off? We will send someone to investigate thoroughly. If you do a lot of evil, the sky will not spare you!"

Zhu Liangzu Nuonuo agreed, and Lao Zhu asked Zhu Liangzu to be sent to the farm camp to open up wasteland and cultivate land temporarily, waiting for his release.Even if Zhu Liangzu is like this, the remaining group of people are even more panicked, and cold sweat is streaming down their temples...

Chapter 194 The Kind Uncle Zhu

Old Zhu sent Zhu Liangzu down, and then looked at the rest of the group. Old Zhu pondered for a while. To be honest, according to his temper, he really wanted to be slaughtered, but Old Zhu knew very well that in his position, the last What can't be done is willful nonsense.You can kill, but there must be a good reason.

Otherwise, if someone surrenders and you turn around and kill him, there is no reason, so who would dare to surrender?How big is this world?How many states and counties did Zhu Yuanzhang occupy?

The sum of Huaixi and Jiangnan is less than one province in the Yuan Dynasty. Are you forgetting about it?

So Zhu Yuanzhang endured his nausea and said in a deep voice, "Mr. Zhang, what do you think of these people?"

Zhang Ximeng immediately said: "Returning to my lord, don't be rude to take the initiative to open the city to welcome Master Wang. It should be regarded as an uprising. Yang Zhongying and these wealthy households fell into internal struggles and did not directly help us. They can only be regarded as surrenders. As for Zhu Liangzu, he was captured, and it is perfectly appropriate for the lord to let him open up wasteland."

These few words have given the nature of several people, and it is clear at a glance how to deal with them.

Old Zhu said: "Let's do this, don't be rude, you are temporarily in charge of the prisoner-of-war camp, you have to be careful in doing things, don't be the same as before."

Bie Buhua quickly thanked him, "Please rest assured, the superior will do his best."

Being able to manage a battalion, no matter what his name is, is a good thing, he is quite beautiful.It's a pity that Bie Buhua still doesn't know what's going on in Zhu's army's prisoner-of-war camp. When he really sees those gods, it's estimated that this one will be able to ascend in place.

Old Zhu didn't want to bother, so Yang Zhongying was next, and he was injured. Zhu Yuanzhang said: "You recover from your injuries first, and then enter the army to study. We will personally assess and arrange a position for you."

Yang Zhongying quickly thanked him.

As for these wealthy households, Zhu Yuanzhang set his sights on Zhang Ximeng and asked him to deal with them.

"You must have heard that the Zhu family's army pursues the policy of equalizing land. There is no room for land. You must abide by the regulations and hand over the land for inspection by the people. As for your property in the city..." Zhang Ximeng paused , "Do you have a paper-making workshop?"

When Zhang Ximeng asked, two people stood up immediately, "Yes, the workshop of the villain is the best rice paper workshop in Xuancheng, and the rice paper produced is the best in the world!"

The other also said: "The villain also produces Xuan brushes, as well as Hui ink and inkstones, all of which are the best things. If you want as much as you want, just order!"

Zhang Ximeng smiled, "What do I want? If it's just me, I'll go to the street and buy it... I'm telling you this because Zhu Jiajun wants to purchase the Four Treasures of the Study in large quantities!"

The two businessmen looked at each other and asked together, "How much?"

"At least 5 servings!"

"what?"

These people were all dumbfounded, "Master, this is too, isn't it too much?"

Zhang Ximeng smiled and said, "What's so much? Our Zhu family army has 10,000+ soldiers. In the past, we had to write on wooden boards, sandy ground, water, and branches. The conditions were very difficult. Now we have arrived in Xuancheng and distributed a set of four treasures of the study to everyone. It should be. In the army alone, there are more than tens of thousands of copies. Besides, it is imminent to occupy so many counties and counties, and the great revival of education is imminent. Every county must set up schools to encourage schoolchildren to study...the number will increase every year The scale is tens of thousands of people. If Zhu’s army attacks the city, it won’t be long before they occupy even more territory. Apart from equalizing the land, our most important thing is to promote education and cultivate talents... Calculated, you are really lucky, In the future, the business will increase by more than a hundred times and a thousand times!"

These businessmen are dumbfounded, aren't they?This pie is too big!

It will kill people!

Moreover, it is unrealistic to give ordinary soldiers the four treasures of study, to learn to read, and to educate and educate everywhere, and to build schools. How much effort does this take?

Zhang Ximeng saw their doubts, and he just smiled lightly, without further explanation.

The wind is coming, and the opportunity is here for you, who can blame you if you can't catch it?

In fact, it is absolutely unworkable to do what Zhang Ximeng does without cultivating talents.

And it’s not just one, two, three or five, it must be hundreds, tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, millions...even the number of literate people in the country must be raised to tens of millions.

Without a huge literate group, how can so many officials be available?

Not to mention anything else, evenly dividing the acres of land, approving taxes, and collecting business taxes... which one does not require a large number of people.

In history, for a long time, Lao Zhu occupied a place, then recruited local virtuous people, conferred official positions, and managed the place.

Like Liu Bowen and others, it was he who fought in the Zhejiang area, and this group of talents surrendered.

The early civil servants were really typical of the Mushou side. Once they became officials in a certain place, the clerks below were all selected by themselves, and they all listened to them.

Even if Lao Zhu had great energy, he still couldn't micromanage the servants of the county government... and these people often follow their masters, ascend to heaven, and occupy key positions.

Not only military generals responded to all calls, early civil officials also had this ability... The Kongyin case and the Guo Huan case, the reason why so many people were implicated, were these minions who were cut down.

Some people think Zhu Yuanzhang is cruel, some people feel happy.But no matter what, Lao Zhu is not a lunatic, he has his own considerations in everything he does.

Zhang Ximeng gave Lao Zhu another choice, which is to spare no effort to cultivate his own talents, and train thousands of them, both in the army and among the people.

Taking advantage of the opportunity of equalizing the land, we will try to get more rural children to enroll in schools and become officials, forming a huge force.

Still the same sentence, if you just divide the land, don't mobilize the people, don't educate the talents... After several decades, the average land can no longer be maintained, and everything that has been painstakingly managed will collapse. In the end, no one will even replace you Speaking, all kinds of correct policies will also be splashed with countless dirty waters. There is no distinction between black and white, confusion between right and wrong, and so many controversies in the history of the Ming Dynasty stem from this.

The right to speak is so important!

On this point, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhang Ximeng are highly consistent. Lao Zhu has been reading books for the past few years, and he can even write poems, and his level has improved extremely fast.

"I really didn't expect that after taking Xuancheng and mastering the hometown of pen, ink, paper and inkstone, it will be much more convenient to educate soldiers and common people from now on."

Zhang Ximeng smiled, "My lord's words are very true... In fact, there is one more thing that can be put on the agenda."

"what's up?"

"Treasure notes!"

Old Zhu was still taken aback. He was still a bit slow when it comes to currency, but after thinking about it, he understood.

After Zhang Ximeng occupied Chuzhou, he spent a lot of effort to get market coupons and establish a grain bank.To be honest, that thing can only be regarded as a bill, and it is far from a currency.

The reason why he didn't dare to do it had a lot to do with the conditions at the time.The territory is too small, the financial resources are weak, there is no reserve fund, and there are powerful enemies outside. If you make any disturbances and run on it, it will collapse.

Moreover, Chuzhou at that time did not have enough technology.

However, as Yangzhou, Yingtian, Xuancheng and other places came under control, Zhu's army rose up, and after the land was divided, the people's hearts also returned.

At this time, it will be a matter of course and a matter of course to get treasure banknotes.

And once the paper money system is in place, Zhang Ximeng's ability can be brought into play to make money, develop the economy, promote the trade war, and make Zhu's army even greater... No one knows this better than me!

After the founding of the country, everyone should let old Zhu Feng and Zhang Ximeng know how to be a king.

Lao Zhu was still a little hesitant. He had a natural distrust of money, and a thin piece of paper was far less reassuring than real things.

"Sir, is the time really ripe now? Will there be any mistakes?"

Zhang Ximeng said: "My lord, it's impossible to say that there are no mistakes. The key is to see whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. And the disadvantages are far greater than the disadvantages... As for whether the time is ripe, I think there is another condition, which may be expected. "

"What conditions?"

"Huizhou—Huizhou merchants!" Zhang Ximeng explained to Zhu Yuanzhang with a smile...Huizhou is located at the beginning of Wu and the end of Chu, and the terrain is complex. Huangshan is within the territory, and the agricultural conditions are not good.

But just like Shanxi, there is no way to farm, only to do business, and as a result, powerful Huizhou merchants have developed.

Huizhou merchants started in the Tang Dynasty, developed in the Song Dynasty, and grew stronger than the Ming Dynasty... It lasted for thousands of years, and when it comes to Huizhou merchants, it has a rich and colorful stroke in history.

When these Anhui merchants were the most powerful, they could even wrestle with Shanxi merchants and control the court together... As powerful as Zhang Juzheng, he only dared to engage in a whipping method, but he dared not touch the business tax. The power of the business gang.

They invest in schools all over the world, cultivate scholars, and manage industries, forming a huge profit network, layer upon layer, to protect themselves.Is the real behemoth, the uncrowned king.

Of course, later generations have huge disputes about merchant gangs, but it is undeniable that merchants are an indispensable force.

Especially in order to develop the economy, accumulate wealth, and compete for supremacy in the world, it is absolutely impossible not to make good use of commercial resources.

Even the old Zhu in history, he didn't beat the businessman to death with a hammer.On the contrary, Lao Zhu has repeatedly decreed that business exchanges can produce some goods that the people urgently need, and that businessmen should be given preferential treatment and even exempted from some taxes.