First Minister of Ming Dynasty

Even Xu Da couldn't help but exclaimed how lucky he was.

Siege warfare has always been a difficult problem. Even in Hongdu, Zhu's army took more than two months, and Zhang Shicheng is famous for his good defense.

It's normal to fight for a year and a half.

As a result, within a few days of fighting, the flag was won, and it fell into the hands of Zhu's army. How could we not be overjoyed?

Xu Da decisively ordered Zhou Dexing to lead a troop, pretending to be the main force, to attack Jiaxing and restrain Zhang Shicheng's troop. Then Deng Youde was the vanguard to attack Hangzhou.

At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang had also led all the civil and military forces to Huzhou.

Riding on horseback, Zhu Yuanzhang looked to both sides. Gradually, he found that the ridges beside the road were neat and the rice fields were continuous.

"Whose land is this? There are so many?"

Zhang Ximeng didn't know either, so he could only ask others. Soon, there was news that Zhang Tianqi had made the military settlement.

Old Zhu was curious, so he jumped off his horse and came over to check. Zhang Ximeng followed behind. They passed through a rice field and found neat houses.

These houses are all built of adobe with straw roofs.

There is a well in the yard, a warehouse, a barn, and even a composting pool at the back... everything is available.

Lao Zhu looked around and couldn't help but said: "Let's see Zhang Tianqi, he is a talent!"

Zhang Ximeng also praised repeatedly, "I must be better at farming than I am!"

Lao Zhu didn't say anything else, he just got on his horse and led the crowd into Huzhou.

"Meet the superior!"

Li Wenzhong actually waited at the gate of the city to welcome Lao Zhu.

It turned out that Xu Da didn't want to waste time, and had already supervised the troops to go south, but Li Wenzhong was injured, so he happened to stay and wait for Lao Zhu's arrival while recuperating.

Zhu Yuanzhang took his nephew's hand and asked about his health, feeling very relieved.

"Good boy, well played!"

Li Wenzhong blushed slightly, and suddenly bravely said: "Master, I, I am not a child anymore! I can lead the army!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help laughing, "That's right, you are indeed not a child anymore, Commander Li Wenzhong! You lead the army well and try to win as many battles as possible! Let the big guys look at you with admiration!"

Li Wenzhong was overjoyed and thanked him quickly.

Lao Zhu asked about the process of the siege, and then asked Zhang Tianqi to be brought up.

"We heard that you were one of the eighteen poles, and you followed Zhang Shicheng to kill Tartars?"

Zhang Tianqi hesitated slightly, nodded and said, "That's right."

"Then I want to ask you, what did you think at that time?"

"No, I didn't think much about it, I just couldn't live on."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, "Then, can you survive now?"

Zhang Tianqi was stunned again, and after a long while, he muttered: "I, I am under the command of King Cheng, so naturally I can live on. Wu Guogong can be killed if he wants to, there is no need to say these things."

Old Zhu smiled slightly, "Zhang Tianqi, I want to ask you, you know you can't survive and you want to rise up, how did Zhang Shicheng manage the land of Suzhou and Hangzhou? Are you worthy of those people who followed you? Are you worthy of yourself?"

Facing the questioning, Zhang Tianqi was stunned and speechless.

At the beginning, they were not used to Yuan Ting's style, and it seemed that Zhang Shicheng did the same.

Repairing the palace, collecting beauties, levying violently... On top of the original various exorbitant taxes, he had to collect a lot more, raise soldiers, raise officials, and especially send hundreds of thousands of shi of grain to Dadu to be his loyal minister .

Thinking about a few years ago and looking at the present, it really makes people feel ashamed.

"Wu Guogong, the winner and the loser, you just kill people!"

"No!" Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said, "The affairs of the world are about billions of people. Kings succeed and bandits lose. How can they be so simple? Use force to conquer cities, and benevolence to suppress chaos. When we entered the Jiqing, there was no crime in autumn. Therefore, it depends on one action. Every time I hear that the generals won a city, they will not kill them rashly. The descendants will be truly blessed.”

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed and said: "We see that you are stationed in Huzhou, and you can still benefit from farming. You are a man with a heart to do good. We asked you what you thought at the beginning, just to know whether you would like to farm and farm for the benefit of the people. ?”

Zhang Tianqi was surprised again. If Zhu Yuanzhang talked to him about prosperity, he might surrender, or he might refuse... But there is still a way to deal with it, but when it comes to these, he is in a mess.

"I, I can't say well."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled dumbly, "Mr. Zhang, what do you think?"

Zhang Ximeng immediately said: "My lord, I have just calculated that Hongdu is close to Poyang Lake. In terms of the situation, it is very similar to Huzhou along the Taihu Lake. If General Zhang is willing, he can go to Hongdu to farm and build water conservancy for the benefit of one side. "

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, and then said: "Zhang Tianqi, what do you think?"

When Zhang Tianqi heard that he was going to Hongdu, he didn't need to fight Zhang Shicheng directly, he was relieved immediately, not to mention that he also thought of his poor background. Back then, their family didn't even have an acre of land, so they could only carry brine in the salt field. Let's not talk about the days.

"I, I will!"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded with a smile, "Let's come to Huzhou to eliminate chaos for the people. Immediately put up a notice to allow the people to redress their grievances, immediately prepare for the equalization of the fields, suspend all exorbitant taxes, and collect them again after the land is granted. Therefore, soldiers must not harm the people. Commander, behead!"

Zhang Tianqi listened silently, lowering his head even deeper...

Chapter 282 The Descendants of the Liu Family

Zhu Yuanzhang's statement made Zhang Tianqi feel ashamed. Compared with Lao Zhu's attitude towards the people, Zhang Shicheng was indeed far behind.

It seems that it is indeed a mistake to become a king and lose a bandit. A king is made by the kingly way, and a bandit is defeated by the way of the bandit!

Could it be that Zhang Shicheng is just a giant bandit?

Zhang Tianqi couldn't answer. He was still being sent to a prisoner-of-war camp for the time being. Like other prisoners, he had to be counted, and then he would be sent to Hongdu to farm and build water conservancy.

At last, he was giving full play to his talents, and Zhang Tianqi didn't complain.

He was in the prisoner-of-war camp every day, watching Zhu's army count the number of people and register them.At the same time, he asked about the prisoner's background, family situation, whether he had any relatives, etc... The detailed inquiry made Zhang Tianqi feel ashamed.He has led the army for so long, and it seems that his understanding of his subordinates has not reached this level.

Their prisoner-of-war camp was next to the military camp. Since the magistrate's office was burned down, Lao Zhu and all the civil and military personnel could only live in the military camp. Fortunately, everyone was used to it.

In the morning of this day, it was very lively. Many gentry and common people from Huzhou, holding umbrellas, gold, silver, cloth, wine, meat and food, came to visit Zhu Yuanzhang and reward the three armies.

There was an endless stream of gifts from them, and the number was amazing.

Zhang Tianqi stood on the side of the prisoner-of-war camp and counted carefully. There were more than a hundred carriages alone... He was so angry that he couldn't help cursing. .

"These grandsons used to cry poorly with me, but now that Duke Wu is here, they are rushing to give presents. They are really emperors and courtiers!" Zhang Tianqi couldn't help scolding, but there was nothing he could do.When Monk Peng came to kill him, these people greeted Monk Peng, and when the Yuan soldiers came back, they greeted the Great Yuan Dynasty.

Later Zhang Shicheng occupied these places, and they became Zhang Shicheng's loyal ministers again.

Repeatedly jumping sideways, this is someone's ability. See what this means, even if the old Zhu's family is finished, they can still find a new master.There is a thousand-year-old clan, but no thousand-year court.

Isn't it just such a mess!

After Zhang Tianqi sighed, he returned to his residence. He sighed in his heart and didn't eat lunch until evening. When he went to the kitchen, got the food, and was about to eat, he suddenly heard the people next to him talking.

What are the descendants of the Liu family that they are talking about, they were arrested by Wu Guogong, and now they are ordering a thorough investigation. This family of traitors is finally finished.

Zhang Tianqi frowned, thought for a while, and then suddenly woke up, yes, there is still a branch of the Liu family in Huzhou!

Zhu Yuanzhang actually wanted to settle accounts with the Liu family?

This family is going to be unlucky?

If so, I, I am convinced!

Zhang Tianqi had a quick bite of food, and then ran to Qianhu, who was in charge of the prisoner-of-war camp, to ask about the matter. He was too eager to know what happened...

In the morning, a group of gentry and landlords came to meet Zhu Yuanzhang and presented generous gifts.

Zhu Jiajun came, and they heard about those things, and those who were timid were ready to run away.But most people still choose to stay, there is no way, whoever let them have all their property, if they want to leave, they have to give up all of them, it is really reluctant.

Ever since Huzhou Changed the King's Banner, they had gathered together and actively discussed, which led to today's move.

Lao Zhu just smiled lightly at this. Our Mr. Zhang has stored millions of stones of grain and hundreds of carts of gifts just in Jiangbei alone.

However, Lao Zhu still met these people, and it was inappropriate to punish them without teaching them.

If they can take the initiative to cooperate, it can also save a lot of trouble.

Zhu Yuanzhang is also groping, he wants to find a mature and safe method, there are so many lands waiting for him to occupy, he can't do everything by himself.

Only by coming up with a suitable plan can it be promoted everywhere and become a universal rule.

It was because of this consideration that even Zhang Ximeng came, and Lao Zhu asked him to explain Zhu's army's policies to everyone.

Zhang Ximeng enacted these laws naturally in a leisurely manner.

"The land law has been revised many times, and now, it is the most fundamental two words: average!" Zhang Ximeng said: "Equally divide the field mu, merge the small tax into the land tax, and collect taxes according to the person's small field mu. In the past dynasties, all Divide into land tax, individual tax, and collect taxes according to the number of acres and persons. There are also suggestions that regardless of the size of the population, only the individual tax will be allocated to the field, and the tax will be collected according to the land."

"From now on, the population will be bred, and the tax will never be increased... But I want to say, this is not acceptable. How can the population be abandoned? Does a country only need to collect taxes from the people without taking responsibility? According to Our proposition is based on the per capita land, people and land are tied together. Every rural citizen, no matter what their status is, even if they are tenant household slaves, from now on, they will have their own land. That is the land tax, and the land tax is the Ding tax. The current tax rate is one-tenth, which is divided into two taxes in summer and autumn, and the tax is paid in turn."

Zhang Ximeng said: "This is our principle. If you have anything to say, you can bring it up. But in Juntian, I don't think there is much room for concessions. Do you have any requests for convenience? Good suggestions , we will adopt it.”

Zhang Ximeng directly denied Di Dingyin's approach.

The idea of ​​this thing and him can't be said to be a perfect match, or it can be said to be completely different.

The core of the land bank is that the imperial court has to collect so many taxes. In order to reduce the difficulty of collection, the tax is bound to the existing land. That is to say, not only the common people pay money, but also the gentry and landlords also have to cut their flesh. .

Stabilize the tax base, expand tax sources, and ensure national revenue.

In the final analysis, the common people are still treated as leeks, but they will be gentler when harvesting.

It will not only cut from one field, nor will it just gather from one sheep.

Zhang Ximeng's idea of ​​land equalization stems from the simple concept of treating everyone fairly, and a person should have a piece of living material in the world, which is a piece of land that belongs to him at the moment.

Also out of consideration of fairness, there are subsequent tax arrangements.

It can be said that they are interlocking and seamless.

The gentry present were taken aback, because they came here together, hoping to cut some meat and make an exchange with Zhu Jiajun.

The meat cut is that we can refund some of the land and bear some taxes, but at least we are allowed to raise domestic slaves...or simply count domestic slaves as population.In this way, when the fields are equalized, they can keep most of the land.

Obviously, all these wishful thinking were broken by Zhang Ximeng. The shrewdness of this young man was far beyond their expectations. The dozen or so gentry and landowners fell into an eerie silence.

What should I do?

After a while, a fair-skinned scholar with slender eyebrows and long eyes stood up and said to Zhang Ximeng, "I have heard about the name of Prime Minister Zhang for a long time, but seeing him today, he is really thoughtful and extraordinary. We are all willing to obey the arrangements of Prime Minister Zhang. I just have a small request, I hope Zhang Xiang will grant it."

Zhang Ximeng smiled, "My lord is here, how can I give you grace? As long as your suggestion is reasonable, we will definitely adopt it."

The man pondered for a while, and immediately smiled, "What Prime Minister Zhang taught is that the villain means that we want to serve the Zhu family army. Whether we can be allowed to collect land taxes and transport them to the warehouse is also a worry for Wu Guogong."

"No!"

Zhang Ximeng said bluntly: "The collection of land taxes must be done after the land is equalized, and the elected grain chief is in charge... If it is handed over to you in advance, relying on the power to collect land taxes, wouldn't it still be able to overwhelm the people and dominate the people? How can the common people believe in Juntian? Isn’t it still a case of obedience and disobedience, going the opposite way?”

The man blushed when he heard Zhang Ximeng's words, his wishful thinking was easily shattered, and he could only change his mind again.

"Master Zhang, it's certainly a good idea to equalize the land, but I don't know the property of the clan, but it should be divided equally? After all, these clan properties are for the poor in the clan, to support private schools, and to support the ancestors' ancestral halls... It seems that they are all serious business. , can’t be considered exploitation and exploitation?”

Zhang Ximeng shook his head again, "What is family property? There is no family between officials and people, the court and common people! There is no land in the world that can escape the land tax. Family property is not good, school land is not good, and temple land is even more bad!"

Zhang Ximeng blocked all possibilities in one breath, making the atmosphere on the field awkward again.

These gentry also kicked the iron plate. At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang stood up suddenly and walked over, "We just read the roster, your surname is Liu?"

The man nodded quickly, "If you go back to Duke Wu, the villain Liuxi."

"Oh! Just now you kept talking about family property. Let me ask you, is there any famous person in your family, and how much inheritance has been passed down?"

Liu Xi was stunned, not knowing how to answer.

Seeing his expression, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly smiled and said, "Are you a descendant of Liu Mengyan?"

"Yes...it's just a side room, not a direct descendant." Liu Xi suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Not a direct descendant? Then you still have so many properties in Huzhou, so it can be seen that the children of the Liu family are living well!" Zhu Yuanzhang asked with a smile.

Liu Xi's heart was beating wildly, it didn't seem like a good thing to suddenly involve their family without talking about Juntian's affairs.

"Returning to the words of Duke Wu, Liu's farming and studying heirloom is pure and clear!"

"What a heirloom of farming and reading... It's common people farming, you study?" Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and turned his head, "Mr. Zhang, do you think we are right?"

Zhang Ximeng nodded hurriedly, "Master Shengming."

Zhu Yuanzhang said again: "Mr. Zhang, you said that we only wanted to share the acres of land equally at first, so that we could negotiate and give the poor people a way of life. But some people objected in every possible way and came up with a lot of reasons. To put it bluntly, no Do you just want to keep your high position?"

Zhang Ximeng nodded again, "Master hit the nail on the head."

"Then how did this position come about? It seems that he surrendered to the Yuan Tartars, killed Prime Minister Wen, and exchanged loyal and good blood for it?"

When Lao Zhu said this, Liu Xi's legs were already limp and he knelt on the ground.