First Minister of Ming Dynasty

But Lao Zhu still didn't want to let him go, "If we were descendants of the Liu family, we would probably spend all our wealth, be honest, and atone for our ancestors. We never imagined that you still have the face to come here and negotiate terms with us... disaster Not as good as your family, but you Liu family have received such a great favor from the old thief for a hundred years, and it's time to pay back the debt!"

Zhu Yuanzhang turned his head and looked at Zhang Ximeng, "What do you think, sir?"

Zhang Ximeng said with a sullen face: "I think it's very appropriate... not only the Huzhou Liu family, but also the Quzhou Liu family must be taken down immediately, and we cannot tolerate it!"

Chapter 283 The King

The Liu family lineage in Huzhou was decisively taken down, and the whole family was crying, and the wife grabbed Liu Xi and yelled, "You are playing the flute in the toilet, how can you open your mouth?"

So many people go to see Wu Guogong, why don't you show off your skills?

You can speak well, right?

Brainy, huh?

Why don't you touch your butt, isn't your family doing too many disgusting things?

With you, life is at stake!

The mother-in-law punched and kicked, scratching Liu Xi's face to blossom.

Liu Xi was angry, but with his old punches, he also scolded: "Can you blame me? It's not what Wu Guogong himself said. They have to be reasonable. As long as they agree to Juntian, they won't make things difficult...I just talked about some conditions." , Just treat me like this! It's not fair! It's not fair!"

Liuxi couldn't help shouting at the jailer, "Tell Wu Guogong, if you buy a horse bone with a thousand gold, we will leave our family clean! If you kill us, what Wu Guogong said will be useless. It's not worth it to stay home ah!"

No matter how much Liu Xi shouted, no one agreed, so he could only turn around and make peace with the old woman and his wife, having a good time and being together physically.

But what Liu Xi said was not completely unreasonable.

How to deal with leaving home has become a difficult problem for Lao Zhu.

Based on the principle of finding Mr. Zhang when encountering difficulties, Lao Zhu called Zhang Ximeng.But to be honest, Lao Zhu was a little embarrassed.Years of teaching and learning have helped each other and influenced each other, and Zhang Ximeng's brand was inevitably engraved on Zhu Yuanzhang's head.

In terms of looking at issues, Lao Zhu is somewhat similar to Zhang Ximeng.

Although he hates Liu Mengyan and despises this traitor, not long ago he sang against Zhang Shicheng, using Liu Mengyan to satirize Gao Ming and others, and with his shamelessness, denounced all civil servants who were still willing to serve the Yuan court. .

But no matter what, Liu Mengyan is an ancient man who has been dead for decades, and his bones are almost rotten.

It is estimated that Liu Xi and the others have not even seen Liu Mengyan's face. There is always something unreasonable about dealing with such a person.Of course, Lao Zhu was going to kill someone, and he even wanted to refuse all persuasion.

Because Lao Zhu knows that the truth can only be told to those who are willing to accept the truth.

Sometimes, you just can't make sense.

To kill chickens and scare monkeys, to warn others, we must take Liu's head and tell everyone that if we dare to fight against Juntian, no matter what we do, it will be a dead end!

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang's first words when he saw Zhang Ximeng were, "We want to kill people!"

Zhang Ximeng blinked, and suddenly said with a smile: "Coincidentally, I want to kill them too!"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at him for a long while, making sure that Zhang Ximeng didn't mean to be ironic, and then said in a deep voice, "It may not be in line with the principles and principles in Mr. Liu's heart. Although Liu Mengyan deserves to be cut to death, it will harm the descendants of the Liu family. We did it on our own will, you don't have to give up the truth in your heart just to cater to us."

After a while, Zhu Yuanzhang said: "This matter is on our head, just say that the husband failed to dissuade him, and we just insisted on going our own way."

Zhang Ximeng was slightly pondering, but actually laughed.

"The lord really intends to fulfill the reputation of the minister... In fact, this is not what the minister thinks."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned suddenly and asked, "What do you think, sir?"

"Think about fairness and fairness." Zhang Ximeng replied.

"But what we did was not fair enough!" Zhu Yuanzhang said stubbornly.

"Then I will find a way to make the lord fair!" Zhang Ximeng said decisively: "My lord, in fact, when dealing with the Liu family, you can completely put aside Liu Mengyan. Just what they have done is enough to kill him."

Zhu Yuanzhang was slightly surprised, and then said: "Sir, you mean, they do a lot of evil in the fish and meat town?"

"Things may be more complicated."

"How to say?" Old Zhu became more and more curious.

Zhang Ximeng took out some manuscripts from his pocket and put them in front of Zhu Yuanzhang.

"My lord, let's talk about a more famous traitor... Qin Hui!" Zhang Ximeng said, "My lord, do you still remember Lishui?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile: "Why don't you remember that when we posted the land equalization notice in Jinling, the people in Lishui mobilized and divided the land on their own initiative, and there was quite a commotion... Why did you mention this?"

"My lord, do you know who owns the Lishui field that the common people want to share?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was startled, and pondered: "Could it be... Qin Hui?"

Zhang Ximeng nodded, "That's right, it belongs to Qin Hui. Fengxu in Lishui is next to Shijiu Lake. It is his fief, stretching for more than 80 miles, with a total of [-] acres of land!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was surprised. He had been to that area before. It was located between two big lakes.

Such a good place belongs to that traitor Qin Hui?

"More than that, Qin Hui has many farms in other places in Jinling. After his death, his family's fortunes fell, but the Qin family still has a rent income of [-] stone fields every year. Don't live too comfortably."

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but change his face. The land rent in Jiangnan is very heavy, at least half of it, but even so, if he can collect 20 stone land rent, it also shows that the Qin family's land has at least [-] mu!

This is what happens after Qin Hui's death!

Thinking about their old Zhu's family, they don't even have an acre of land, so they can only rent and grow other people's houses.

"Mr. Zhang, the emperor of Zhao Song doesn't care about such an annexation?"

Zhang Ximeng smiled wryly and shook his head, "My lord, it is the national policy of the Northern Song Dynasty not to suppress annexation. Wang Anshi and others tried to change it, but they failed in the end. After the Jin soldiers occupied the Central Plains, Zhao Song fled to Lin'an. Along with the Emperor Zhao Song, many dignitaries came. , Famous ministers in the court... This group of people seems to be traveling south in clothes. After arriving in the south of the Yangtze River, they wantonly occupied land, enriched their family wealth, plundered the people, and did everything they could. Qin Hui had hundreds of thousands of acres of land, Zhongxing Zhang Jun, one of the four generals, can also collect 60 Dendrobium land rent every year, even Han Shizhong and others also have a lot of land property. Counting it, only Prince Yue is clean!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes widened, and he slapped the table angrily, "This is the reason why Yue Pengju was murdered! The Zhao and Song Dynasties, from top to bottom, are all rotten. Gaozong Zhao Gou is a despicable villain, ruthless and shameless. He is so How can the servants of the Zhao Dynasty restrain the annexation and attack the tyrants? I am afraid that the Zhao Song clan will be even more ferocious if they annex the fields!"

Zhang Ximeng sighed and said: "My lord, it's not just about annexing the land. During Song Zhezong's time, it was stipulated that the landlord beat the tenant to death, and the crime was reduced, and he was sent to the neighboring state! In the reign of Song Gaozong, the crime was reduced, and he was sent to the state!"

Zhu Yuanzhang only felt his temples twitch suddenly, and a surge of anger rushed straight to the roof beam.

"What kind of farting decree? Is it a shame that they have the face to announce it when they are allotted to Honshu? In our opinion, it means that the lives of the tenant farmers are not taken seriously. What is the difference between being allotted to Honzhou and not being allotted?" Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry that he repeatedly patted the table, "How did this Zhao family become the emperor?"

Zhang Ximeng was also extremely helpless, "This is true for the formulation of laws and regulations, and even more so for the implementation of laws. If there is a dispute between tenants and landlords, the yamen will directly punish the tenants heavily without asking questions. The officials will directly stand up and speak for the landlords to maintain their principles."

"Damn it! Shameful!" Lao Zhu snorted angrily, "It turns out that the methods used by the Tartars to treat the Han people already existed in the Zhao and Song Dynasties. It's ridiculous that Liu Fu told them to reopen the Great Song Dynasty. You are really stupid!"

Zhang Ximeng said again: "My lord, it is true that the Yuan court has inherited Zhao Song's collection methods and carried them forward. For example, Liu Xi proposed to help collect land taxes and act as the head of grain. This is the usual method of the Yuan court. Relying on local wealthy families Let them come forward to exploit the people and squeeze the people's livelihood. Looking at the Yuan Dynasty for less than a hundred years, the gentry clans in the south of the Yangtze River, relying on their familiarity with the place and their proficiency in literature, wantonly exploited and annexed the land, and their lives were even worse than those in the Song Dynasty. comfortable."

Zhang Ximeng took out several documents and introduced them to Zhu Yuanzhang...Although the Yuan court sent Mongols and Semu people to control the area, the number of people was too small and the general culture was too poor.

They can only rely on the local gentry and landlords to help them rule.The Mongols are greedy, and the tyrants are even more greedy. They are crouching dragons and phoenixes, and the sustainable depletion of fish has begun.

In Jiangnan, landlords with tens of thousands of acres of land and thousands of tenants abound.

In some prefectures and counties, five-sixths of the land is in the hands of a few landlords.

Ordinary people have no land at all, and can only live by renting and planting land. Too many ordinary people are absolutely poor.

Although it is said that after Zhu Jiajun crossed the river, he played the banner of equalizing the land and did a lot, but from the Song Dynasty to the Yuan Dynasty, the accumulated evils of hundreds of years before and after, how can it be so easy to solve?

It is precisely because they are still safe and sound after changing dynasties that this group of people dared to come to negotiate conditions with Zhu Yuanzhang, always feeling that no one can do anything to them...

"These beasts do a lot of evil. It seems that they don't just stay at home, but killing their family is simply cheap for them!"

Zhang Ximeng nodded immediately, "What my lord said is very true. I think that before the land is completely equalized, the lord should issue an order to encourage tenants to stand up and report to the landlord. If any landlord hurts a tenant, he needs to double the compensation. If any tenant is killed situation, the landlord himself must pay with his life!"

This order is powerful enough, let the landlord directly pay for his life, and take the blame on someone casually, that's not acceptable!

Without further ado, Lao Zhu nodded, "Just do what you want, sir."

After pondering for a while, and thinking for a while, Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Sir, I'm afraid it's not just this decree? What else do you want to say?"

Zhang Ximeng took a deep breath, and then said solemnly: "My lord, my minister, I dare to think that my lord should be king!"

"King?"

"Yes, the lord should show the banner, break with Zhao Song completely, set the record straight, and make known to the world. Although doing so slightly conflicts with the original strategy. But our momentum is very good, and our strength has increased by more than ten times. ... What's more, if we want to mobilize more people and completely change the world, we must touch the bad governance left over from the Zhao and Song Dynasties. Just overthrowing the Yuan Dynasty is not enough! More bold methods are needed! "

Zhang Ximeng was full of emotion, looked at Zhu Yuanzhang, and said sternly: "I said these words when I explained the equal distribution of farmland... But now, I have a deeper understanding. In short, we must oppose Cheng Zhu's Confucianism, We must oppose the legacy of scholar-bureaucrats, the land-acre system, fiscal and taxation rules, all of which are objections to! We cannot tolerate these things anymore.”

"To put it bluntly, it is to rebuild a world...and this world needs a wise and wise monarch." Zhang Ximeng bowed deeply, "I think this monarch must be the master! The people of the world are looking forward to it, the master duty-bound!"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked solemn, he slowly sat on the chair, looked ahead, and murmured for a long time: "Let us be king, okay?"

Chapter 284 Timing

"My lord, it is very different from crossing the river just now. We have not only occupied Jinling, but also the surrounding counties and towns. The east of Poyang Lake, the west of Taihu Lake, and the south to Ganzhou... In terms of territory, perhaps it is not as good as the sky. Completely huge, but with a dense population and rich products, it is quite extraordinary in terms of strength. Although it is not good to be proud and complacent, it is even more inappropriate to belittle one's self. From the perspective of strength, there is still a capital to be king."

"Furthermore, Liu Futong's Northern Expedition on the Three Routes is now complete. In the direction of Shandong, in the land of Qilu, Mao Gui is advancing triumphantly, the West Route Army has entered Guanzhong, and the Central Route Army is also planning to conspire in the East of Hebei Province... Whether Liu Futong can succeed or not, at least the Yuan Army and the Han Song didn't even have the energy to take care of us. The only opponents we have to deal with are Zhang Shicheng, Xu Shouhui, Fang Guozhen, Chen Youding and a few others."

"Fang Guozhen is just a water bandit, and Chen Youding has no ambitions. It is just Zhang Shicheng and Tianwan Xu Shouhui."

Old Zhu's eyes flickered, and his voice was low, "Although these two men can't be regarded as Geshiqi men, they still have some strength, and they can support each other right now. If they become kings, they will definitely cooperate more closely."

Zhang Ximeng can't deny it either, "My lord's words are very true. Being king will still cause a lot of commotion, including whether Liu Futong's side will turn his face, it's hard to say... This is the price of being king. But being king is also good. That is to show the banner, make a clear statement, and call for the talents of the world. We use the name of expelling the barbarians and dividing the land equally. If we cannot show enough determination, we will indeed encounter difficulties.”

"In conclusion, there are risks and benefits in being king. The heavy burden is all on the lord. What decision to make depends on the lord's will. I absolutely support it."

Hearing the last sentence, Lao Zhu laughed, "It's like this again, pushing the most difficult thing on our head, Mr. Zhang, you are too dishonest."

Zhang Ximeng chuckled and didn't take it seriously, "My lord, I'm probably the kind of scholar who is always planning and making decisions! There are all kinds of ideas, and the lord must appreciate them before they can be truly implemented. Every time it comes to a critical moment, the lord must come up with a decision. This It is also the responsibility of the lord!"

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled lightly, and then his face gradually became serious again. He chewed on the word "responsibility" repeatedly, and finally said: "Mr. Zhang, you go first, let us think about it for ourselves."

Zhang Ximeng left obediently without any more nonsense.

In fact, he often asks himself, if he can clearly see the way of the future, it means he has a strategy in his hand, and he can follow the example, so is it true that he can't do it?

Or, is it true that the traverser can't beat the son of the plane?

Apart from summoning the meteor shower, what is the difference?

For now, the Zhu family army is definitely much stronger than in history, but the question is, with this strength, can it be possible to become king a few years earlier?

In history, Zhu Yuanzhang eradicated his greatest enemy in life after Chen Youliang was defeated in Poyang Lake. The following year, under the persuasion of Li Shanchang and others, Zhu Yuanzhang ascended to the throne of King Wu, and then destroyed Zhang Shicheng and proclaimed himself emperor.

Now that the two major opponents are still there, if they claim the king early, will there be an uncontrollable situation?

For example, Chen Youliang immediately marched into Jinling, and he was ashamed.

For another example, with Liu Futong, is he still willing to continue to form an alliance, continue to be the pioneer of Lao Zhu, and honestly go to the Northern Expedition?

Zhang Ximeng didn't have an answer to these things, and only after they had done it would they be clear.

Now that the Zhu family army has come to this day, it really needs to clean up the internal dregs. It should have an attitude towards the Liu family, which has lasted for a hundred years.

Not only the Liu family, but also the Qin family, the Pu family, and even the descendants of the saints in Qufu... Although they are like the descendants of the Qin family, they are not all thieves, and they even have a little sense of shame and shine.However, the literati forces represented by these families that have continued to this day must be resolved by the Zhu family army.

If we don't solve them, how can we equalize the land?Where is the fairness?

The internal and external parties are intertwined. Zhang Ximeng may be able to sort out clues one by one, but it is not Zhang Ximeng's specialty to make decisions when things are intertwined.

When it comes to weighing trade-offs and gains and losses, I am afraid that only the Sacred Heart can decide.

One night passed in a blink of an eye.Zhang Ximeng slept soundly all night, because he knew that all he had to do was wait for the result.

Zhu Yuanzhang, on the other hand, had no sleep all night, and let Zhang Ximeng pass the next morning without even eating.

"Mr. is right. We have responsibilities on our shoulders. We should not evade them. We should be kings so that we can live up to the hearts of the people and soldiers!"

Old Zhu's voice was not high, even a little hoarse, but in Zhang Ximeng's ears, he could cut gold and cut jade, and the sound was loud, and a relieved smile appeared on his face.

After all, Zhu Yuanzhang will not disappoint people, he is really a man with his iron shoulders on his shoulders.

Old Zhu took a big step forward and officially became the king. They don't have to be awkward anymore. They can all be promoted to the Academy of Sciences or the Museum of History.It is really configured according to the center of a country... Naturally, Zhang Ximeng's status can also be greatly improved.

Moreover, Zhang Ximeng has also planned a major event, which can be said to be enough to subvert the rules of officialdom.

If it can be realized smoothly, there is a high probability that the future Ming Dynasty can exist for a while longer.

It's just that it still needs to be formally established to take it out, and the time is not ripe now.

All in all, as long as Lao Zhu is king, he can start to do many things.

"gentlemen!"

Zhu Yuanzhang let out a low cry, interrupting Zhang Ximeng's imaginings.

"My lord, what are your orders?"

"Don't be too happy for now, wait until Hangzhou is won, and then announce it to the public."

Zhang Ximeng was taken aback, and hurriedly said in horror: "Yes! I know."

Zhu Yuanzhang paused, and added, "Although it will take some time, but after becoming king, the official system arrangements, laws and regulations... can be brewed, sir, and you need to handle this matter, so we can rest assured!"

Zhang Ximeng was startled again, and hurriedly replied: "I know!"