The laughter fell in Mr. Zhu's ears, just like the roar of a beast.
Those who dare to lead fellow villagers to negotiate terms with officials are considered local heroes, but no matter how good a hero they are, they cannot compare with those who fight on the battlefield and still have real power in their hands. If you want to make him feel that he suddenly has some benefit in the eyes of the inspector and is worthy of being so polite to others, then it is better to make him believe that the sky will send fruits.
Boss Zhu put his hands on the ground, moved his body back, and said cautiously: "Inspection Master, why don't you just say it if you have something to say? I, a mere commoner, do not deserve your courtesy."
Hu Zhonggui coughed a few times, placed the wine and meat next to the fire, and sighed. : "You guys... ah no, brother Zhu, don't think too much. I got some advice today and I figured something out. Alas, it's not easy for everyone!"
It is said that after the establishment of the new dynasty, the governance was different from that of the previous dynasty. But the biggest change is just not fighting. Daikin began to decline during the Mingchang period. Decades of oppression and abuse have created decades of debts, which are not easy to repay.
The vast majority of the people have already fallen into absolute poverty. Even if they experience stable life for two or three years in a row, the climate may not be very good and the food harvest may not be good. Even if there was surplus grain, each household had to pool its share to exchange it for money to buy large livestock shipped from the grasslands or the Southern Dynasties.
Households that produce more grain and money have more time to use their livestock, and can wait for the pace of their own farming. Households that produce less grain and money have less time, and may not be able to get their money and grain at all during the rush to plow and plant. Even if it comes out in vain.
In order not to fall behind others, many people gave away all their surplus grain. However, the result was that this winter, life was extremely difficult. A large number of people traveled thousands of miles to Tianjin, not only to make money, but also to save food for their families.
Those who did not have the opportunity to travel that far could only respond to the recruitment of local officials and build ponds and canals. The government could not provide much food, so I could barely get half enough food every day. After I finished my work, I had to find ways to get some wild vegetables from here and there, then go home and make a bowl of hot water to drink before going to sleep.
People who come to Tianjin Prefecture will naturally receive better treatment, so Hu Zhonggui and other talents cannot tolerate slow work and delays. But these people were thousands of miles away from home, and they had been told about the beautiful flowers and peaches beforehand. When they arrived here, they lived in shacks and the cold wind blew every day. The warriors who mounted their horses to manage the army and dismounted their horses to manage the people patrolled everywhere with their chests raised and their bellies raised. If the progress is a little slow, they will be beaten severely, and even people will be killed...
The imperial court has been saying that all the poor people in the world are suffering because of the evil deeds of the Jurchen bullies and alien lackeys in the previous dynasty, who plundered the money belonging to the people. But when I arrived at Tianjin Mansion, I saw that the nobles of the new dynasty and all kinds of wealthy businessmen and people with unknown origins who spent all their time making money and silver in the sea, where did they come from?
The people originally only had one mouthful of food to eat, and this has been the case for generations. Unless this mouthful of food is gone, they will always be the best slaves and the best livestock; and any new dynasty that rises will only need a mouthful of food to make them all obey.
Hu Zhonggui always thought so, so he took it for granted that adding a whip would make the people rush like ants to prepare for the new dynasty.
But the Great Zhou Dynasty was different from previous dynasties. The Zhou Dynasty relied more on trade than any other dynasty. Different from the small-scale, regional trade since ancient times, the scale of trade carried out by the Great Zhou must be huge, and it could only be completed by a class that was completely divorced from production and had huge power.
While this class promotes trade, it also promotes huge population flows, which opens the eyes of the people who were originally bound to the land.
Once you open your eyes, you will have ideas; once you have ideas, you will no longer be a dazed slave; once you are no longer a slave, you will naturally not be as docile as officials expect.
Hu Zhonggui has been doing inspections here for several years and has heard many stories about the sea. It is said that those people on the sea are extremely ferocious, and they even dare to kill Tsuna if they are not satisfied. People at sea are like this. Officials in charge of maritime trade have long since adjusted their mentality. Officials on land should also follow suit.
In fact, this is not difficult to understand. With so many officials who have retired from the army, don't they know how to gather people's hearts and how to drive their subordinates to die? Even if you can't undress and push food, you should still understand the principle of severe punishment and generous rewards, right?
If you never understand this point, but only know how to use harsh methods everywhere, then problems will inevitably arise and people will inevitably take advantage of you. When the emperor inquired, how could Hu Zhonggui feel at ease and feel that he was right?
In recent years, due to the booming business relationship, various dynamic organizations have been active beyond the control of the imperial court, constantly testing, conflicting, and balancing each other. All the Confucian ministers felt that the world was becoming more and more strange and inconsistent with the standards of governing the world. The emperor obviously did not care about this.
The emperor always only cared about the money bag and the handle of the knife, and the handle of the knife was the highest priority. As for the rest, the emperor believed that the people could always live a good life as long as their wallets were well-off. In this process, officials should not act recklessly.
Hu Zhonggui felt a little cold sweat on his forehead. He pushed the wine and meat in front of Mr. Zhu.
"Tomorrow, I will arrange for a medical officer to come and treat your legs. The shacks in your area have been said to collapse before... I will arrange for people to transport some wood to help you repair it! If you want to earn more money, more If you get some benefits, I can also come forward and contact people who can speak for you. If you don't dare to talk about anything else, you can still be sure of getting dozens of kilograms of more food every month. If you have any difficulties in the future, you can come to me. , if you think there is anything wrong with my management of the civil servants of each team, you can just say it!"
Hu Zhonggui agreed to everything he could and gave him all the benefits he could think of. But Boss Zhu just felt that something was wrong.
He stared at the wine and meat for a long time, and suddenly an idea flashed: "Yesterday, Mr. Li came to Sanchakou and asked a lot of questions; tomorrow, there will be a more important official than Mr. Li coming to ask questions, right? "
The smile on Hu Zhonggui's face disappeared instantly.
This afternoon, he got a tip from Li Yun, so he had people prepare wine and meat, and visited one by one those who had been bullied or treated harshly by him during the series of conflicts at Sanchakou. The wine is the famous Yuquan wine, and the meat is as good as flower cakes. He felt that this sincerity was enough, and the few people he visited were fair and square, and indeed they were all knowledgeable.
But she never thought that her mother-in-law had just received the news that the emperor had arrived in Tianjin! Moreover, the emperor promised that everyone would only have one day to cover their lids and wipe their butts!
What does this mean?
Is it possible that the emperor was angry because the fight in the north ended in an anticlimax? Will he vent his full anger on Tianjin Mansion? The emperor's control over the army must not be shaken. What will happen to those who dare to disturb the wind and rain here?
And once the emperor ends in person and those who were already satisfied change their tune and say they are dissatisfied, what will happen to Hu Zhonggui?
Hu Zhonggui was shocked, regretful and anxious, but he had no time to prepare other things, so he could only make a desperate promise and spend all the money he had accumulated in officialdom. But I never thought that this civil servant leader was not stupid, and he immediately felt that something was wrong.
At this time, there is no need to waste time with stubborn words. Hu Zhonggui reluctantly said: "Hey, that's right, you are knowledgeable!"
"So, you are afraid that I will redress my grievances to those high-ranking officials, right? You are afraid that I will reveal your wanton behavior and affect your official position, right?"
Hu Zhonggui snorted coldly, and his eyes suddenly widened, revealing the whites of his eyes covered with bloodshot eyes. Murderous aura began to permeate his body, and he had obviously made up his mind and couldn't reach an agreement, so he was going to be more cruel: "You guys, are you really unjust? Things have reached this point, if you are not a fool, you should know The problem is not all my fault! The senior officials above gave me a day to appease everyone... They are not only saving me, they are also saving you!"
"I see."
Boss Zhu stretched out his hand and slowly took the wine and meat brought by Hu Zhonggui into his arms: "What the inspection master said...but I also want something else."
Hu Zhonggui gritted his molars on both sides: "What do you want!"
Boss Zhu's eyes flicked left and right. Hu Zhonggui cursed, got up, walked around outside the shack, and then walked back: "All the irrelevant people have been driven away! Just tell me!"
"To be fair to the inspectors, when I think about it now, I think the reason for the trouble was very strange. Two fellow villagers from the East and West Road of Shandong have been complaining in front of everyone, as if they were pushing us to fight against the inspectors. ... But we roughnecks didn't feel anything was wrong earlier, so... What's the hindrance to this kind of people? If a high-ranking official asks about this kind of thing, should I say it or not? "
On the half of Hu Zhonggui's cheek that was burned by the fire, the skin was shiny with horniness. There was also a strange light in his eyes: "What do you mean?"
Boss Zhu lowered his voice: "I'm thinking, if I tell the names of these two people now, Inspector Hu, can you kill them...so that these two people won't involve us, good citizens?"
Hu Zhonggui was stunned.
After another long while, he couldn't help but laugh. Smiling, he stood up straight, showing an expression of relief: "I know that those of you who are brave enough to oppose me are not simple farmers. You are so brave to ask me to kill you!"
"What, can't you kill?"
Hu Zhonggui gently kicked the meat and wine in Boss Zhu's arms: "I'm not the only one who is busy cleaning up tonight! The two people you mentioned must be dead now! Tomorrow morning, you can see their heads He was hanged out, and the charges were written all over the notice! Don't think so much, just drink and eat meat! Starting tomorrow, we will lead everyone to work with peace of mind! Now, no one should make trouble anymore!"
