First Minister of Ming Dynasty

Hearing that Lao Zhu wanted to treat guests, Zhang Ximeng shuddered subconsciously, Zhu Chongba, don't make trouble!If you bring up a pot of pearl, emerald and white jade soup and eat up everyone, it would be a joke.

Zhang Ximeng was in fear, but these common people didn't know what was going on, they thought it was delicacies from mountains and seas, the eight treasures of land and water!

This is Wu Guogong, he hoeed the ground with golden hoes, he invited us to dinner, how could it be worse?Can't!

It's finally not in vain, let's have a good meal!

This group of people was full of expectations. There were a lot of them, and they were interviewed at the school grounds of the military camp. Behind them was the large kitchen in the army.Following Lao Zhu's order, it took less than half an hour to smell the aroma of rice.

The soldiers ran over first, and each gave a small bench.

You can squat or sit on the floor, and then put two large bowls on the bench, one for rice, one for vegetables, and a pair of chopsticks.

Then there are soldiers carrying wooden barrels who come to deliver food... The staple food is steamed buns and rice. Bibimbap, or in vegetable soup, are excellent.

Then came the dishes, stewed tofu with cabbage, fried bean sprouts with wine and vegetables, radish and pickled vegetables, they were all common things, not even Zhu Jiajun's classic dish of braised pork.

Frankly speaking, the big guys are a little disappointed after seeing this, is that all?

Wu Guogong is too stingy!

But the big guy came from a long way, and he was really tired after standing for so long.

Simply bowed his head and ate.

Needless to say, Zhu Jiajun's rice is new rice, the cooking smells delicious, and the dishes are cooked enough and full of flavor, especially the spoonful of lard, which is a perfect match!

With a history of 5000 years, ordinary people can roughly fill their stomachs, and it only takes a few decades. If you don’t believe me, ask the elderly to see if the lard bibimbap is delicious?

Fat, enough calories, and enough salt, this is the delicacy of ninety-nine percent of the people, and they may not be able to eat it during the Chinese New Year.

It's just that compared to Wu Guogong's status, it's a bit hip.

But soon the big guy forgot all about it. He lowered his head and ate with big mouthfuls, his face filled with fullness and happiness.

At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang was also walking among the crowd with steamed buns and vegetable bowls, chatting with the big guys from time to time and asking about the situation at home.

Every commoner nodded in apprehension and trepidation.

Old Zhu turned around and returned to the high platform. He smiled at the big guy.

"How was the meal?"

"Okay, very good!" Someone quickly agreed.

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help laughing, "Isn't it? You should dislike us for being stingy, right? A Wu Guogong, with hundreds of thousands of troops in his hand, invites the big guy to eat some delicacies from mountains and seas, what's the matter? Serve chicken, fish and duck meat, eat and drink, So what? Are you reluctant? "

The common people are not good at hiding, they can only laugh at it.

Zhu Yuanzhang said sternly: "To be honest with the big guy, I really don't want to part with it! We have to raise soldiers, fight wars, build water conservancy, and set up schools. There is not enough money to fill them in. The so-called big trouble is the reason. "

"Of course, it's not that we can't afford to invite the big guys... It's just that we invite you to eat this to tell the big guys that as long as we divide the land according to the rules, we can eat every meal in a year or two. Serving such a meal...of course, the lard is extra!"

Old Zhu laughed and said: "Mr. Zhang, you are the best at settling accounts, come here and let the big guy settle the score!"

Zhang Ximeng had no choice but to think that it would be fine if you performed by yourself, why would you not pull me?

Stepping up to the stage, Zhang Ximeng said with a smile: "Although Changxing has a dense population, it is next to Taihu Lake and the land is fertile, which is unusual. I have already sent someone to inquire. Based on the current situation, in the village of Changxing, everyone can be allocated It ranges from five mu to eight mu. If there are few people, it can be divided into ten mu of land. Calculated on the basis of five mu, the grain yield is one stone and five buckets in one season, three grains in two seasons a year, and fifteen stones in five mu. According to the land tax, you need Pay one stone and five stones, and considering the loss, the maximum collection is two stones. That is to say, no accidents, a person can get thirteen stones of grain a year. According to the calculation of three stones in the ration, there are still ten stones of grain left, and save half of it for shortage. Go out halfway, replace it with oil, salt and cloth, and raise some chickens, ducks, geese and dogs, and when the New Year comes, there may be a big pot of stew instead of a spoonful of lard on the table."

Zhang Ximeng did a simple calculation of the account, but to his surprise, there was no thunderous cheers, joy and encouragement, and the big guy's eyes were a little suspicious, and he even said simply, like looking at a fool, Zhu Jiajun is the best at settling accounts, Is this the level?

Zhang Ximeng was stunned for a while, and quickly added: "Under the Lord's rule, it is true. There are no other exorbitant taxes. Even if the peasants are required to be expropriated and the farming time is delayed, they will find a way to compensate. It is indeed difficult, and the land tax will be reduced."

After he finished speaking, there was finally movement among the people. People whispered to each other, and the voices became louder and louder... The big guy couldn't believe it. When did the peasants' account be so simple?

Land tax is those, there are small silver, and there are exorbitant miscellaneous taxes, landlords and lords also have land rent, and even temples can collect rent... Who would allow the common people to have surplus food?

All the nobles regard the common people as fat meat, and they will only slash their knives frequently until they can't squeeze out any oil and water.

As a result, Zhu Jiajun told them that as long as they pay some land taxes every year, they can live a stable life. Even if Zhu Jiajun is a good person, what will the gentry and landlords below do?

What about the bureaucrats?

Seeing that the common people were skeptical, Zhu Yuanzhang said loudly again: "Folks, we understand your worries... But we can tell the big guys with a pat on the chest that Mr. Zhang is right, and he hasn't said that there are people in front of and behind your house. , you can still have some land, build a house, plant trees and raise silkworms, it’s all up to you... If you don’t have more than ten shi of grain all year round, you can come to us!”

"Besides, we can also tell the big guys that all the officials in the Changxing Mansion Yamen have been arrested, and the gentry and landlords who asked to suspend the land equalization have also been arrested. If there is any resistance in the local area, let's let the soldiers Get off now! All in all, we Zhu Yuanzhang mean what we say, let the soldiers follow you back to your hometown now, one by one, measure the acres of fields, and implement the equalization of the land! Anyone who dares to stop him will be killed immediately! You are welcome!"

Having said that, these ordinary people finally began to believe in Zhu Yuanzhang, and more and more people cried bitterly. Looking at Lao Zhu again, the estrangement disappeared, only deep respect.

Sure enough, Zhu Yuanzhang did what he said, and when he finished speaking, Geng Bingwen had sent soldiers over. Each small banner led eight people and went to a village, starting from the village near Changxing, not letting any one go.

In the face of gentry and landlords, first find out the situation, welcome those who are willing to cooperate, and welcome those who resist wholeheartedly, then you can only use soldiers and horses to destroy them!

In fact, Zhu Jiajun didn't need to do anything at all. When the people passed the news back, every village was blown up, and countless young and strong people appeared, and even women stood up.

Zhu Jiajun, regardless of gender, divides the land, even for our own land, we must bravely leave the house.

Militias have sprung up all over the country, and with their support, it is indeed like destroying the dead!

Faced with this situation, Zhu Yuanzhang felt a little ashamed while being happy.

"Sir, we have occupied Changxing for some time, and the people are still skeptical of us!"

Zhang Ximeng sighed: "After all, no matter how nice the words are, no one will really implement the order after order, and the common people will not take it seriously."

Zhang Ximeng thought for a while, and then said: "My lord, since the thunderbolt method was used, those gentry and landlords who stubbornly resisted naturally cannot be tolerated, but their family members, especially the old women and children, please raise your hand and make proper arrangements."

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help laughing, "Don't worry, sir, in fact, except for a few gentry who have committed the most crimes, we are reluctant to kill people!"

"What does my lord mean?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "No, someone gave us a suggestion just now. He said that although tens of thousands of prisoners of war camps have left their studies, we still cannot lack these labors. Therefore, he suggested that the criminals should be returned to the camp. All kinds of people are filled into the hard labor camps, and let them reclaim wasteland and build cities, and continue to contribute for us."

Zhang Ximeng blinked, this idea coincided with his, but who is so smart to come up with such a good solution?

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled slightly, and sent a piece of remonstrance to Zhang Ximeng. There were three words on it: Hu Weiyong!

It was him!

Zhang Ximeng couldn't help being surprised...

Chapter 271 Quick Advance

Who is Hu Weiyong?

To put it simply, this is a guy who doesn't suffer from biting dogs.

Before crossing the river, he took refuge in Zhu Yuanzhang, and then became an official in Hezhou and did a lot of things.During the period when Hu Dahai and others suppressed the bandits, he fought the most famous vicious battles.

As a literati, Hu Weiyong actually disguised himself and went deep into the enemy's camp to spy on information and help him achieve success.

It stands to reason that such a character should have been promoted long ago.

At that time it was Zhang Ximeng who presided over the evaluation of the hundred officials, God is sorry, he did put Hu Weiyong on the recommended list.Since Zhang Ximeng was worried that Hu Weiyong would be implicated in forming a party for private interests, he did not recommend it to Lao Zhu alone. After all, he did not want to be Hu Weiyong's benefactor. .

But Zhang Ximeng gave him a very high evaluation of his writing, especially a few extra lines.

But unexpectedly, Zhu Yuanzhang just didn't use Hu Weiyong, and excluded a very capable person from the main civil servants. After crossing the river, Lao Zhu transferred him to Ningguo. The position is not high, just the county magistrate.

In fact, such an arrangement is very abnormal.

Today's Zhu family army is expanding rapidly, managing more affairs, and the number of officials is constantly expanding. Many unknown young people are entrusted with important tasks.

Only Hu Weiyong, he has qualifications and skills, and more importantly, he is from Haozhou and belongs to Zhu Yuanzhang's hometown.

With these advantages, there is no reason not to be promoted.

You must know that in order to reward the grain chief, Li Shanchang offered a reward for the servant.

That's how it is when starting a team. Talk about it casually, feel that the talent is good, give it a position, and then work on it. This is the norm.

But because of Zhang Ximeng's appearance, Zhu Jiajun conducted the imperial examination, selected talents from all over the country, and established an evaluation mechanism, which was not as formal as a rebel team.

This is why Hu Weiyong's situation seems very surprising.

"Mister, do you think that we have wronged the talent because we have not used this person?" Zhu Yuanzhang smiled lightly.

Zhang Ximeng said: "It's true that I didn't think about it, but my lord should have a reason, if it's inconvenient, don't worry about it."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes widened immediately, what are you saying, it's so easy to have a chance to show our level, you still don't let us talk, isn't this trying to suffocate me to death!

"Hu Weiyong is omnipotent, and he is so utilitarian. This man is not a virtuous minister, not a gentleman, and cannot be entrusted with important affairs...but he is a knife, a sharp sword for killing people."

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered and said: "There are enough virtuous ministers like Mr. by our side. But there are some things that we can't let Mr. do or dirty Mr.'s hands. We have no choice but to use Hu Weiyong. In the past, we didn't reuse him, but threw him somewhere to practice, just to make the knife sharper and kill people more freely."

Zhang Ximeng took a slight breath, needless to say, Lao Zhu is treating Hu Weiyong as a tool, but I have to say that Zhu Yuanzhang is still very accurate in judging people.

Hu Weiyong is daring, and he is determined to climb up. He is ruthless to himself and even more ruthless to others.Such a person is a vicious dog, but it has to be said that sometimes guarding the door is really inseparable from him.

Just like the current situation, let Hu Weiyong accept the hard labor camp, play with this group of unrepentant things, and sustainably beat the bone and suck the marrow.

This is another characteristic of Lao Zhu. When he is not a human being, he will really not be a human being.

What else can Zhang Ximeng say, I can only wish Hu Weiyong and those unlucky ones happiness!

After receiving Zhu Yuanzhang's order, Hu Weiyong trembled.

From magistrate, he ascended to the sky in one step, became the young minister of Dali Temple, and concurrently served as the promotion of the hard labor camp... Needless to say how many levels he rose in the middle.

This hard labor camp was actually proposed by him.

That is to say, Lao Zhu agreed to his suggestion and handed over this tailor-made department to him.

If it doesn't make a sound, it's a blockbuster.

Hu Weiyong could already foresee how big a wave this appointment would cause in Zhu's army... How can he not give up his life to repay the kindness of the superior!

At this moment, Hu Weiyong didn't think too much, he set off immediately, rushed to Changxing from Ningguo County, and quickly took over the labor camp.

The person in charge of the handover was Sun Yan, but Zhang Ximeng did not come.

Hu Weiyong didn't care about these anymore, he just marveled at the size of the hard labor camp... First of all, how many prisoners did Lao Zhu capture?

This question is not easy to answer.

When they were in Hengjian Mountain, they arrested more than 7 people, and then occupied Chuzhou and Hezhou. When Tutuo was defeated by 40 people, Lao Zhu also got a share.

At that time, the total number of prisoners exceeded [-].

Some of the first batch of captives were incorporated into the army, and some were placed in military camps. They were later pardoned one after another, and basically there were not many left.

However, after crossing the river, the city was conquered, and the number and quality of prisoners captured were no worse than those in Huaixi.And because Zhu's army already had quite a number of soldiers and horses, except for a battalion in Tongling not long ago, most of the prisoners were not incorporated into the army.

Roughly estimated, there are 8 to [-] people in the hard labor camps.

Where is this camp?

There are only tens of thousands of men, women and children in a county.

Even a few prefectures may not be able to provide a strong labor force of [-] to [-].

To put it bluntly, Zhu Yuanzhang's soldiers and horses are only 20!

This authority is too great, so great that it makes Hu Weiyong ecstatic, even his fellow villager Li Shanchang will be envious when he sees it.

Since the superior has given me such a great grace, it is even more necessary to show ten thousand times the ability to satisfy the superior.

Hu Weiyong's ability to handle affairs is no worse than Li Shanchang's, and his cruelty is even higher than Li Shanchang's.

After he took over the hard labor camp, he proposed a task to build a dam on the Xin'an River.

Although he is the magistrate of Ningguo, he also knows the situation in Huizhou next door, and knows that the Xin'an River is seriously flooded... But Huizhou, Jiande and other places are very important, and they belong to the hinterland of Zhu's army.

Eliminating floods, increasing irrigation, and increasing grain production are also the result of equalizing the land, and it also facilitates shipping, which can promote business exchanges and increase tax revenue.

All in all, there are many benefits.

Of course, Hu Weiyong didn't care about how much labor he put in and whether someone would die.

When he sent this suggestion, Zhu Yuanzhang agreed immediately without any hesitation.

Moreover, Lao Zhu also instructed that it is very appropriate for those powerful and powerful gentry who have caused disasters and fished the common people to build dikes and dams to atone for their sins.But it is necessary to cherish the power of the people, not to affect the local area and harm the people.

Facing Zhu Yuanzhang's request, Hu Weiyong agreed without hesitation.

Then he took action, and then, the gentry and landlords in Changxing were unlucky... Geng Bingwen sent his soldiers to go deep into various villages to clear up the acres and implement the equalization of the land.

But it is undeniable that the soldiers are not familiar with the place, and because they are too young.

Once in the country, trouble soon ran into.

It was not the gentry and landlords who left them speechless the most. They dared to resist and immediately arrested them. No matter how serious they were, they would follow the law.

Zhu Jiajun swung out an iron hammer, whoever dared to resist would be crushed to pieces.

The real troubles are those uncles and aunts... At first they were still afraid of Zhu Jiajun, but after they got to know each other well, people kept looking for them, complaining that they had less land and wanted to share more ridges.