Gao Hanwen's words were like a bomb that exploded among these villagers!
Not long ago, the government not only exempted villagers who planted mulberry seedlings from field taxes, but also exempted them from corvee service. Now, they are even distributing relief grains to those villagers who plant mulberry seedlings.
Before this, these villagers took pleasure in the misfortune of those who had obeyed the government's orders and planted mulberry seedlings.
Especially after seeing that they were about to run out of food, I felt even more happy.
Who would have expected that the government would take action so quickly and be willing to distribute relief grains to the villagers who planted mulberry seedlings.
At this moment, a trace of regret flashed through the hearts of these villagers: "If I had known that planting mulberry seedlings had so many benefits, I should have obeyed the government's orders. What's more, the price of raw silk has soared, so planting mulberry seedlings will definitely not worry about sales."
Gao Hanwen was destined to be unable to know the thoughts of these villagers. Immediately, he took the list from the guard on the side and began to compare the names on it and read them one by one.
"Wang Erzhuang, Wang San, Wang Goudan, Wang Wu..."
Next, all the villagers whose names were read by Gao Hanwen came out with expectation.
Gao Hanwen looked at the dozen villagers, nodded indiscernibly, and then asked.
"I am now asking you questions on behalf of the government. You must answer truthfully. If any of them are false, not only will you not receive the relief food distributed by the government, but you will also be arrested and imprisoned. Do you understand?"
"Sir, I understand. If you have any questions, just ask!"
Among the dozen villagers, Wang Erzhuang mustered up the courage to stand up and answer Gao Hanwen's words.
Hearing this, Gao Hanwen immediately withdrew his gaze and asked.
"How many people are there in your family? How much food do you currently have in stock?"
When Wang Erzhuang heard this, he gritted his teeth and immediately told the real situation at home.
"Sir, my family has four people. The remaining food in the family is less than two liters. We are currently relying on gruel. If the government does not distribute relief grains, I am afraid that the little ones will not even be able to drink gruel!"
After Wang Erzhuang, the remaining villagers, after exchanging glances with each other, also truthfully informed them of their own situation.
Gao Hanwen's brows wrinkled visibly. What he didn't expect was that the situation would be so serious!
If the government does not distribute relief grain immediately, these people may not be able to wait until the mulberry seedlings mature.
Immediately afterwards, in order to verify the authenticity of these villagers' words, Gao Hanwen personally led his guards to the door and carefully looked through the homes of these villagers.
"It seems that those villagers are not lying. The situation is true. These people are almost at the point of running out of food!"
Gao Hanwen withdrew his gaze and muttered to himself silently.
Immediately, Gao Hanwen was seen ordering his subordinates to record all the situations reported by the dozen or so villagers, and then returned to the Governor's Mansion without stopping.
After Gao Hanwen, Zheng Michang, He Maocai, Ma Ningyuan and others also returned to the Governor's Mansion.
Next, after everyone summarized the information they had received, Zheng Michang was keenly aware of the seriousness of the matter. After looking around, he raised his doubts to everyone.
"That's not right. Logically speaking, the government previously exempted those people who planted mulberry seedlings from paying field taxes. The food they have should be more abundant. How could they be reduced to the point where they are about to run out of food?"
Zheng Michang's words soon aroused the alarm of others: "Yes, no matter what, we shouldn't be reduced to such a situation. Where did the food in their hands go?"
Then, He Maocai seemed to have thought of some possibility and lowered his voice.
"Tell me, is there someone behind the scenes who wants to change rice into mulberry?"
After hearing what He Maocai said, Zheng Michang, who was sitting at the top, slammed the table and said in a deep voice.
"Do you even need to ask? It must be Qingliu and his gang who are causing trouble behind this!"
"If the information you have collected is correct, the relief food currently prepared in advance in the granary may not be enough!"
When Zheng Michang said this, his expression suddenly became serious.
Ma Ningyuan on the side suddenly panicked when he heard this, and immediately asked Zheng Michang.
"Then what should we do next? If there is not enough food, the conversion of rice into mulberry will not be able to continue. When the higher authorities investigate, no one will be able to escape the involvement!"
After hearing what Ma Ningyuan said, Zheng Michang forced himself to calm down and immediately gave instructions to everyone.
"In this case, I will write a letter to Mr. Ge and the others immediately, telling them everything about the situation here, and asking for their help!"
"You are responsible for investigating where the food in the hands of the people went?"
After Zheng Michang finished speaking, He Maocai on the side also spoke immediately.
"As things stand now, this is all we can do!"
Next, after clarifying their division of labor, Zheng Michang went straight to another study room in the Governor's Mansion without any hesitation. After considering the sentences, Zheng Michang spread out his pen and paper and began to write a letter.
"Mr. Xiaoge, there is something going on here in Zhejiang. The food in the hands of the people who planted mulberry seedlings has suddenly disappeared for some reason. Now, they are almost at the point of running out of food. For the specific reason, Officials are investigating."
"In addition, the relief grains prepared previously are completely insufficient. Without sufficient food support, the conversion of rice to mulberry will not be able to continue."
"Xiaoguan suspects that behind the whole thing, Qingliu's group is secretly manipulating. They want to make Gaidaowei Sang's success fall by the wayside. They also ask Mr. Xiaoge to find a way as soon as possible. Before that, Xiaguan will try his best to support !”
After the ink on the paper was dry, Zheng Michang carefully checked it several times. After confirming that it was correct, he immediately called his close associates and gave instructions in a deep voice.
"Send this letter to Mr. Xiao Ge as soon as possible without any delay!"
"Yes, sir!"
After answering the call, the confidant walked out of the room without stopping, mounted the fast horse that had been prepared, and headed towards the destination.
…
Night, Beijing, Prince Yu's Mansion.
Not long ago, the emperor accepted Yan Song's proposal and Xu Jie's plan failed. While Xu Jie felt a great sense of crisis, he could not swallow his breath, so he summoned everyone to Prince Yu's Mansion to discuss the next countermeasures. .
In the study room, everyone was silent. After Xu Jie coughed twice and attracted everyone's attention to himself, he spoke slowly.
"You don't have to be depressed about this. Although His Majesty has adopted Yan Song's proposal, it does not mean that we have no chance. We can also use other methods to stumbling the Yan Party!"
When Xu Jie said this, he withdrew his gaze, immediately put on an unpredictable expression, and said slowly.
"For example, in Zhejiang, they are almost seeing results in converting rice into mulberry!"
Hearing this, Gao Gong seemed to have thought of something, frowned, and immediately asked.
"Mr. Xu Ge, what do you mean by these words? Have you made corresponding plans before this?"
Xu Jie was very satisfied with Gao Gong's reaction, nodded slightly, and immediately explained.
"As early as a month ago, I sent people to Zhejiang to buy the grain from those farmers at a high price!"
"Right now, those mulberry farmers have no grain in their hands, and the relief grain in the grain depot is not enough to support the consumption of those mulberry farmers. When the time comes, I will have to see if there is not enough grain, the rice reform promoted by the strict party will How should we proceed with Sang!"
After Xu Jie's words fell, the faces of everyone present could not help but show expressions of sudden realization.
Zhu Zaijing looked even more excited, slapped his thigh suddenly and praised.
"Without food, the conversion of rice to mulberry cannot continue. If it is implemented forcefully, it may trigger a civil uprising!"
"Next, we just need to keep the food in our own hands. The conversion of rice to mulberry vigorously promoted by the strict party will fall short. Once the conversion of rice to mulberry comes to a standstill, my father will not spare them. When the time comes, Our chance has come!”
When Zhu Zaijing said this, he paused for a moment, his eyes full of determination.
"I must remove the cancer of Party Yan from our Ming Dynasty!"
After hearing what Zhu Zaijing said, Xu Jie also expressed his agreement.
"His Royal Highness King Cai Yu was right. Next, we only need to keep the food in our own hands and not allocate food to Zhejiang. We only need to wait for the failure of converting rice into mulberry, and then we can officially launch an attack on the strict party! "
After Xu Jie finished speaking, Zhang Juzheng, who was silent on the side, expressed his doubts at this time.
"Mr. Xu Ge, what if Yan Song persuades your majesty to redistribute grain from neighboring provinces?"
Xu Jie seemed to have anticipated this question, and after thinking about it for a moment, he immediately responded.
"Don't worry, I have already made plans before this. Except for Fujian and Jiangxi, the provinces adjacent to Zhejiang have no excess food for mobilization."
"And right now, the person who serves as the governor of Fujian is Tan Lun. It is absolutely impossible for him to allocate grain to Party Yan!"
"Over in Jiangxi, in the name of the Ministry of Household Affairs, I have asked Jiangxi Governor Cao Shunhe not to mobilize food easily!"
Zhang Juzheng saw Xu Jie's confident look, and the last doubt in his heart was dispelled.
In Zhang Juzheng's view, although Xu Jie's strategy was simple and unpretentious, it was deadly!
At present, the Ministry of Revenue is in charge of Xu Jie and Gao Gong. Even if Yan Song persuades His Majesty and orders the Ministry of Revenue to personally adjust the grain, Xu Jie can find various reasons to shirk it, and even use some if necessary. Small means.
For example, a ship transporting grain encountered wind and waves on the road and capsized, or it encountered bandits on the road and the grain was robbed by the bandits. In short, Xu Jie, as the Minister of Household Affairs, had countless ways to prevent grain from reaching Zhejiang.
The longer time passes, the more the balance of victory will tilt towards Qingliu. Once the change of rice to mulberry is declared a failure, by then, the fall of Yan will officially begin!
After thinking about all this, Zhang Juzheng turned his gaze to Xu Jie and said in a deep voice.
"What Mr. Xu Ge said is absolutely true. It is only a matter of time before Yan Dang is defeated."
When Xu Jie heard Zhang Juzheng's words, he became smug and smug. He clenched his fists and looked determined.
"When the Yan Party is defeated in the struggle, and when the people are in power, our Ming Dynasty will surely prosper again, and I will let the people live a good life!"
…
After traveling day and night, Tumaihan was finally secretly escorted to the capital.
At this moment, the sky was just turning white. Perhaps because it was still early in the morning, not a single pedestrian was seen on the road.
The soldiers who were originally responsible for guarding the city have also been replaced by Jin Yiwei. At this moment, their eagle-like eyes are paying attention to every corner around them to prevent any accidents.
Gradually, the team responsible for escorting Tumaihan appeared in the distance. Seeing this, the imperial guards could not help but secretly heave a sigh of relief.
Immediately, someone was sent forward, and after showing their identity tokens, the two sides quickly completed the handover.
Tumaihan was imprisoned in a prison car and then escorted all the way from Jizhou to the capital. He kept traveling day and night, which consumed most of his energy and energy. At this moment, he looked quite depressed, with his head lowered. Silent.
When the door of the prison van was opened, he came back to his senses. He immediately raised his head and looked around at the place where he was currently.
Tumaihan looked at the surrounding towering city walls, the paved stone floors, the neat roads, and the scattered buildings around him.
Comparing it with the tribe he was in, Tumaihan felt that he was dwarfed by the two comparisons, and couldn't help but sigh.
"Is this the capital that people in the Ming Dynasty call the capital? It's great!"
After the words fell, Tumaihan was also escorted to a place that had been prepared by the Jinyi guards who came to hand over.
At the same time, Yang Bo and Yang Xuan also got their wish and received rewards from the court.
At the gate of the Governor's Mansion, Yang Bo, Yang Xuan, and all the officials in the Governor's Mansion all knelt on the ground respectfully, waiting quietly for the eunuch in front of him who was holding the imperial edict to read out the contents of the edict.
The Emperor Fengtian Chengyun issued an edict: "Yang Xuan, Governor of Jiliao, captured the Tatar Khan and made great contributions to killing the enemy. The imperial court has officially named him a hussar general, and his duties remain unchanged."
"Yang Bo, the left minister of the Ministry of War, assisted Yang Xuan, the governor of Jiliao, to annihilate the invading enemies, and made great achievements. He is now named General Huaiyuan, and his responsibilities remain unchanged."
"For all soldiers who participated in this battle, the court will pay four times the salary. For soldiers who unfortunately died in battle, the court will also pay four times the original standard."
"In addition, all the officers, big and small, who participated in this battle will be upgraded to one level on the basis of the original ones. Thank you for this!"
Although Yang Xuan had already expected that the rewards from the imperial court would be quite generous before this, what he did not expect was that the rewards from the imperial court would be so generous!
Not to mention that he was awarded the title of Cavalry General, all the officers, big and small, who participated in this battle were promoted to one level on the basis of the original ones. Not only that, those soldiers also received four times the salary and pension as rewards!
This battle can be said to be a happy one, and everyone has gained huge benefits from it.
After the eunuch finished reading the contents of the imperial edict, he looked at Yang Xuan with a smile and said slowly.
"Accept the order!"
When Yang Xuan heard this, he immediately looked stern, took the imperial edict from the eunuch's hand quite solemnly, and said in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, your Majesty, long live my emperor!"
After that, an official who had been prepared immediately stepped forward and quietly stuffed a thick stack of silver notes into the eunuch's hand.
After roughly sensing the thickness of the banknote, the eunuch smiled even more and immediately spoke.
"Since the imperial edict has been delivered, it is not convenient for our family to stay here any longer, so we will leave first."
"Father-in-law, walk slowly!"
Immediately, under the leadership of Ji Liao Governor Yang Xuan, many officials present watched the eunuch leave, with smiles that could not be concealed on their faces.
After the eunuch left, Yang Xuan stared at the imperial edict in his hand. Everything that had just happened was like a dream to him.
At this moment, Yang Bo's puzzled voice came: "What are you still doing here?"
When Yang Xuan heard this, he suddenly came back to his senses, turned his eyes to his friend, and said slowly.
"Did you hear that, His Majesty just made me a Cavalry General!"
When Yang Bo heard this, his eyes were full of smiles and he immediately spoke.
"I heard it, not just me, everyone here heard it. If you don't believe me, ask them?"
After Yang Bo finished speaking, many officials present had funny expressions on their faces that wanted to laugh but did not dare to.
(End of chapter)
