In the next three days, Zhu Yuanzhang still held the butcher knife high, and on the grounds of rebellion, he killed more than thirty wealthy households one after another and confiscated nearly five million taels of silver.
Although some of the wealthy households executed this time were popular with the people, because Zhu Yuanzhang distributed all the property of the wealthy households to the people, the people not only did not complain about injustice, but felt that he was a wise king who cared about the people.
In addition, the stability of the people was largely due to Zhu Yuanzhang's implementation of the "knowledge method" in the capital area.
The so-called Zhiding Fa means that the people are divided into four professions: scholars, farmers, workers, and merchants.
People not only need to know what kind of occupation the people around them are engaged in, but also how many people there are in their families.
People who do not make a living within the scope of these four industries are considered idle and inactive, and people can report them to the government.
Of course, if neighbors behave differently, people can also report them and receive rewards.
However, if you know and fail to report, you may be guilty of the same crime as the offender.
Since Zhiding Fa encourages people to report and expose each other, it also curbs people's speech to a certain extent.
Although the gentlemen in the capital were not worried about knowing Ding Fa, they were very quiet this time.
Firstly, it was because the Ministry of Punishment was hearing the rebellion case of Xu Yunzhen and others. Although Xu Yunzhen and others had previously entered the prison as counter-rebels, many squires knew that Xu Yunzhen and others were in the same group as Gao Qiqian.
Especially on the first day of interrogation by the Criminal Department, Xu Yunzhen took the initiative to confess "everything", which made everyone worried.
Secondly, Jiang Dejing was ordered by the Holy Spirit to increase the salary of the county magistrate in the capital area. Although the scope and magnitude of the adjustment were not large, it was a good start.
In particular, the increase was paid in cash, not banknotes and other items, which made the ministers quite happy, although many of them did not care about this salary. Chinese website
Thirdly, Zhu Yuanzhang frequently transported grain and mobilized troops to Datong in the past few days, and unconditionally released the traitorous generals such as Hao Yaoqi and Li Laiheng who were captured last month.
Therefore, there is a rumor among the gentry that Zhu Yuanzhang was angry with the Jurchen invasion of the south and decided to concentrate his efforts on fighting the Jurchen. However, he was worried that Li Zicheng would take the opportunity to cause rebellion, so he released the rebel generals in the hope of maintaining stability.
If anyone dared to hinder Zhu Yuanzhang's plan at this time, the only thing waiting for them would be punishment with swords and axes. Therefore, most of the gentry remained silent this time.
Of course, all this is just the speculation of the gentry, because since Queen Zhou and others reorganized the palace, it has been difficult for news in the palace to spread out of the palace.
In addition, in these three days, except for Jiang Dejing who met Zhu Yuanzhang, even Zhu Cixiang had not met his father, so no one knew what Zhu Yuanzhang's plan was.
Just as there were rumors outside, Zhu Yuanzhang summoned Wang Jiayan and Jiang Dejing in Dongnuang Pavilion.
After listening to Jiang Dejing's report on agriculture, he asked in a deep voice: "Qing Jiang, do you think the potatoes planted today will be harvested in three or four months and can basically supply the people of the capital?"
Jiang Dejing nodded and said: "Your Majesty, don't worry. I have confirmed this matter with Dr. Song. He said that as long as there are no more wars, the capital will be self-sufficient after autumn at the latest."
Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a while and said: "Okay, tell Song Yingxing and let him concentrate on it. We will definitely get the time he needs."
"Then there is the matter of officials. We heard that although the officials in the capital area are capable, their subordinates are very cunning. Many things that harmed the people were done by these subordinates in the past."
"You must pay attention to this matter. Kill those who deserve to be killed and dismiss those who deserve to be dismissed. Don't let these subordinate officials read the scriptures incorrectly and let our previous efforts be in vain."
Jiang Dejing heard this and said with some embarrassment: "Your Majesty, I have already tried my best to solve the problem you mentioned. It is just because of the war in the past few years that there are too few people who can read and hyphen."
"In order to avoid missing official business, I had to use some cunning subordinates. However, I have re-established the rules and they have restrained themselves a lot."
"After some time, when the club's people grow up and there are enough manpower, I will start to deal with it..."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said: "We also know that corruption among officials is not something that can be accomplished in a day. When I talk about it today, I am not blaming it, but just
Just reminding you. "
"In addition, when it comes to management, don't just rely on officials. You must know that even the kindest people will change their minds after being in power for a long time. So I think you might as well restore Taizu's Lijia system and let the people manage themselves."
"Furthermore, when it comes to complaining about injustice, we must implement it. We must not let officials harm the people and affect our plans..."
After Zhu Yuanzhang waited for Jiang Dejing to write down everything, he looked at Wang Jiayan and said, "Wang Qing, there should be enough land near the capital now. How is your troop garrison going?"
Wang Jiayan bowed and said: "Your Majesty, due to the early war, many people fled to the south."
"Nowadays, attracted by Lord Chiang's policies, many people have returned to their hometowns. However, due to the Jurchen invasion from the south, people's hearts have begun to wander again, so this matter has not gone smoothly."
"So far, I have only recruited 5,000 people, and most of them are not military members. It may take some time to form an army."
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said: "Wang Qing, you need to hurry up on this matter!"
"Furthermore, when recruiting troops, you must choose the right people. Look at Ping Xihou's current elites. Most of them are ordinary people who helped defend the city before, and they are not military members."
"It can be seen that elite soldiers are not from the military. As long as they have thoughts in their hearts, they will grow up after several big battles."
"Furthermore, the war in Datong is fierce now. We heard that nearly 10,000 people have been killed in just four or five days, so we must hurry up on this matter, otherwise the war may change once the number of troops is insufficient!"
After Wang Jiayan bowed in agreement, he hesitated for a while and said: "Although the current situation in Datong is tense, Ping Xihou has 60,000 to 70,000 people under his command. It is impossible for the Jurchens to go south, so your Majesty does not need to worry too much."
When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he smiled and said: "Wang Qing, we know what you mean, but the Jurchen border barbarians don't know whether to live or die, and they repeatedly offend our Ming Dynasty. It's really abominable!"
"So we have been rectifying the Beijing army recently, in order to prepare for the expedition in person and teach these barbarians a lesson!"
Wang Jiayan was already worried about this matter. When he heard this, he hurriedly knelt down and admonished: "Your Majesty, the Jurchens are just barbarians. Your Majesty sends a general..."
"Wang Qing, we have decided this matter, you don't need to say anything more!"
After Zhu Yuanzhang loudly interrupted Wang Jiayan's words, he continued: "You only need to step up the troop garrison to ensure the stability of the capital after the Beijing army leaves!"
Wang Jiayan heard this and knew that it was difficult for him to remonstrate, so he looked at Jiang Dejing again.
Jiang Dejing had guessed Zhu Yuanzhang's thoughts before. Although he did not agree with Zhu Yuanzhang's personal expedition, he had no other choice.
Because if the Ming Dynasty cannot defeat the Jurchens as soon as possible, it will not only be attacked from both sides, but also delay the farming season, which will be even more detrimental to the overall situation.
But if Zhu Yuanzhang were allowed to conduct the expedition himself, if something went wrong, the situation created would collapse in an instant.
Thinking of this, Jiang Dejing was in a dilemma and couldn't help but frown.
At this time, Wu Mengming walked in anxiously again.
