When the royal chariot arrived in Tianjin, the whole city was filled with joy.
The ground is paved with loess, water is sprinkled on the ground, gongs and drums are noisy, firecrackers are blasting, and there are huge crowds of people.
The chief officials of several counties in Tianjin Prefecture, as well as the gentry, all came to kneel down to greet him, which can be described as eager.
The emperor was noncommittal and met with the three magistrates, Tongzhi and Tongpan of Tianjin, and then some local gentry.
The gentry class in the Ming Dynasty was different from the powerful ones in the Song and Tang dynasties. The gentry all had titles and were members of the ruling class.
To put it simply, most of the powerful people in the Tang and Song Dynasties belonged to the common people. They could only control the people at the bottom and thus influence the officials.
At this time, a ruthless official can kill a powerful person at all costs.
Powerful people compete with the imperial court for population and land.
The gentry, on the other hand, can influence grassroots officials from top to bottom through their status as colleagues and teachers. There is no room for cruel officials to survive.
The court compromised with the gentry and divided power to achieve a balance.
The two are opposites, but at the same time they are one and the same, intricate.
For example, the regiment training in the late Qing Dynasty was the result of the cooperation between the gentry and the court.
Zhu Yixi is not an angry young man, he is a power controller who deeply understands the pros and cons of the gentry.
It is too difficult for imperial power to go to the countryside.
The country has now expanded to 1,800 counties, and the number of officials needed is 400,000.
The number in villages and towns is ten times that, and there is no way for officials to go to the countryside unless there are four to five million people.
Such a huge number of officials will eat up 90% of the tax revenue, forcing the court to increase taxes, which will backfire and make the people suffer even more.
One thing that must be made clear is that the imperial power went to the countryside to strengthen the country and enrich the people, not to go to the countryside for the sake of going to the countryside.
Hooligans are not to be feared, only educated hooligans are to be feared.
And the most terrifying thing is the cultural hooligans who control power.
Zhu Yixi simply could not imagine the scene where a group of corrupt officials went to the countryside to search for stoves.
After all, most gentry have face and bottom line.
In today's world, what matters most is the love of hometown.
All townships in a county hold together, and within a prefecture, all counties hold together.
When it comes to the whole country, provincial citizenship is discussed.
Just like Zhang Zongchang's extortionate levies and extortion in Shandong, but he only built bridges and paved roads in his hometown of Ye County, which can be said to be a good deed.
This is typical gentry thinking.
Although I am a warlord and have killed countless people, I am considered a good person in my hometown.
The gentry who were received by the emperor were generally high-ranking officials who returned to their hometowns to retire.
For example, the people who appeared in front of him were a minister of the Ministry of Rites, a chief envoy of Guangxi, and an envoy of Shanxi.
Although none of them are ministers or elders, they are already in the middle and upper levels of civil servants. Ordinary Jinshi basically stop here.
There were only a few hundred civil servants at the provincial level in the entire Ming Dynasty, so they were considered rare.
Taking it a step further, it is difficult to travel across the country without Jun’s kindness.
They are elegant in conversation, neither timid nor arrogant, and what they say is well-founded.
They are an important channel for the emperor to understand local conditions.
"Now Tianjin Prefecture is developing well."
Zhu Yixi chuckled and said: "It costs two million yuan to be escorted to Beijing this summer. It can be regarded as the number one capital in the north."
The former minister of the Ministry of Rites took a shaky breath and said: "Your Majesty, the Tianjin Mansion is so prosperous now mainly because the imperial government is well-organized and the Holy Army is here."
"Coupled with some canals and the convenience of maritime transportation, it can be regarded as barely developed."
As he said this, he said with some pride: "Although Tianjin Mansion cannot compare with Suzhou, it is still among the top three in the world."
Zhu Yixi nodded slightly without comment.
He looked at another old man, who was in his 70s and had served as the chief envoy of Guangxi Province. His eyes were slightly cloudy.
"Mr. Zhang, do you know about the civil unrest in Guangxi?"
"Your Majesty, I know a thing or two." Zhang Cong stood up with his hands raised: "The chaos in Guangxi is ultimately caused by the lack of land and the large number of people, and the disputes among the people."
"The natives and Han people compete for land, the Han people compete for water, and villages fight with each other."
"This is a chronic disease that can only be cured temporarily, but cannot be cured long-term."
Zhu Yixi smiled slightly, and her words were on point.
Isn’t the so-called civil unrest just the uneven distribution of resources?
In the feudal era, the most important means of production was nothing more than land.
"Yu Chenglong, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, also thinks so."
Zhu Yixi looked at the few people with a relaxed expression and said casually: "Guangxi has a small land and a large number of people. Unlike Fujian, which can go to Taiwan, immigrants from Southeast Asia still have a way out."
"There was no land near the sea in Guangxi before. Even if you wanted to go to the sea, there was no land. Now that I have removed Lianzhou Prefecture, there is an extra way to survive."
"Moreover, Yu Chenglong said that Qin and Qi are short of people, so the officials of the two countries can directly recruit people, which can alleviate the difficulty."
Zhang Cong's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he nodded, and then he looked like he was thinking, with a hesitant look on his face.
"Mr. Zhang made it clear that you and I have been monarchs and ministers for many years, how can there be such a gap?"
Zhu Yixi smiled.
"Your Majesty, besides the lack of land in Guangxi, the second most stubborn problem is chieftains."
Zhang Cong was flattered and said hurriedly: "Since the reign of Taizu, the reform of land return has never been interrupted. Over the years, there have been rebellions by extravagant thieves, but nearly 30% of the land in Guangxi is controlled by chieftains."
"Now that the Ming Dynasty is in its prime, with the Holy Emperor at the top and capable officials like Governor Yu at the bottom, we should move forward without hesitation, completely transform Guangxi into its own land, and clear away the hidden troubles."
When Zhu Yixi heard this, she nodded repeatedly.
Over the years, he has been expanding his territory or reforming new policies, but he has forgotten about returning to his hometown.
After all, since the Ming Dynasty, the southwest region has completely fallen under the control of the imperial court. Even in Guizhou and Yunnan, where barbarians are everywhere, Han people account for the majority.
But what cannot be ignored is that the chieftains and half of the country occupy the three southwestern provinces. Otherwise, why would the Qing Dynasty change the land and return it to the generals?
It is precisely because there is money in the treasury now that we should get things done in one go and clear the way for future generations.
Having made up her mind, Zhu Yixi smiled sincerely: "I have benefited a lot from Mr. Zhang's words!"
"Sure enough, we should come to the countryside to see it."
For a time, the monarch and his ministers got along well with each other, and there was a lot of laughter.
Another Shanxi inspector mentioned: "There are a lot of lawsuits in Shanxi."
"Due to border trade, merchants have many ways to go. Every household is willing to build high-rise courtyards, and merchants often go to court because of money."
"After the imperial court implemented the appeal policy, the general judgments at the prefectural level were miserable. Almost all the judgments in the county were appealed, and they were considered unfair."
"The inspector also has to personally review several cases every month, which was unimaginable before."
Zhu Yixi stroked his beard and said: "Everything has pros and cons."
"For ordinary people, an appeal can at least give them a glimmer of hope. Those stupid and corrupt officials in the province have affected the reputation of the court."
The appeal here refers to a case tried by the county general judge. If the plaintiff or defendant is not satisfied, he can appeal and have the county general judge try again. If he is still not satisfied, he will be dismissed.
This makes government affairs complicated and cases complicated.
But this is part of Shaowu's New Deal and falls within the scope of judicial reform. Zhu Yixi must implement it and form a routine.
After working for several hours, the emperor finally took a breath.
He found some of his sons and casually said: "There is a fight over taxes in Jinghai County. You guys happen to be fine, so you can go and have a look."
"Yes!" The six kings headed by King Liao couldn't wait to agree.
The King of Liao was majestic and high-spirited. He led his horse and walked in the front.
Due to his age and temperament, the King of Yue and King Wei had no choice but to follow him, like a few small followers.
At the same time, Bai Laiqi was protecting them from behind, fearing that something might happen to these ancestors.
"Let's go!" King Liao got on his horse and was very excited.
But the government servant who was leading the way had no choice but to chase after the temptation, riding a donkey without any bumps.
After walking for two hours, the group arrived at the river bank village.
"Isn't there a canal near here? Why is there still a lack of water?"
On the way, King Liao couldn't help but ask after understanding the general concept of fighting with weapons.
"Yeah, why don't we just use the water from the canal for irrigation? These people are so stupid. Why are we grabbing so much water?"
King Fu couldn't help but sigh, he shook his head, the fat on his face trembled, looking like an ignorant commoner who was hard to educate.
The yamen servant said with a bitter face: "You guys don't know something. The water shortage in the north is severe, and it is not as bad as the water shortage in the south."
"In the past when there was no sea transportation, the water transport yamen was under the jurisdiction of the canal. Any small river flowing into the canal was not allowed to be intercepted for irrigation privately to prevent the canal from drying up."
"Nowadays, canals are run by private boats, and water control is not that great. Therefore, some small rivers are allowed to block some of the water on weekdays, but they are not allowed to block the water during drought periods."
"The interception of this part of the river has caused fighting in several villages."
When he said this, fear showed on his face.
"A few villages, dozens or hundreds of people, it doesn't matter." King Wei shook his head, his tone was very contemptuous.
"Sir, there are thousands of strong men in these villages. In addition to muskets and armors, they have everything they need, including hoes, broadswords, and spears. Each village has a blacksmith shop and everything is available."
The yamen officer smiled bitterly and said: "There was a private fight two days ago. Three people were killed and seventy injured in just half an hour. This is because the patrol battalion was dispatched in time, otherwise they would not give up until dozens of people were killed... "
Hearing these words, the group of princes became more and more interested, while the soldiers from the Beijing camp behind them were alert and ready to perform meritorious deeds at any time.
Soon, the group of people came to a small dock beside the canal, which evolved into a market town, responsible for supplying food, drink, and food on the canal, and it was also a place where people nearby went to market.
Facing a large group of cavalry, perhaps because they have seen too many patrol camps in the past few days, the people are accustomed to it and do not scatter to escape.
The King of Liao took several brothers to a wine shop and asked the cavalry to wait outside the town while he and others ate and drank.
"In other words, when Yang Ye took a look at the horse, he saw that there was a Khitan Tatar nearly ten feet tall, riding that tall horse, which was half a head taller than Yang Ye's horse. When the two met, , it’s just a child meeting an adult..."
The storyteller, with a table, a fan and a gavel, just stood there and started talking nonstop.
The rich people sat down and were served snacks and tea, while the poor people in short clothes gathered around the roadside and listened with their ears pricked up.
They didn't dare to come near, for fear of being scolded by the restaurant, and even the free audio books would be gone.
The king of Liao and his men were all dressed in gorgeous clothes. As soon as they took their seats, the waiters were waiting on them.
At this time, suddenly an exclamation came from the side:
"Why is there a mouse?"
"Nonsense, this is duck, authentic roast duck from Beijing. Look at the sauce, it smells tantalizing."
When the waiter heard the foreign language, his smiling face immediately became calm and composed, and he said affirmatively.
The shouting guest stood up and said, "Look at these teeth and beard. It's like a mouse head. Are you talking about a duck without conscience?"
"This is a duck neck, that's what it is. It's rare but strange."
The waiter became arrogant and said disdainfully.
"If you don't believe me, ask me, what is this if it's not a duck neck?"
People nearby gathered around.
They all gravitated towards the local dialect spoken by the waiter and the foreign dialect spoken by the guests.
"Yes, this is the duck neck."
"It can't be a rat—"
At this time, the government officer patrolling the street came over and saw that his cousin's shop was being disturbed, and immediately said:
"You foreigner, this is our local duck neck in Jinghai, that's what people look like."
"If you can't afford it, don't eat it. It's embarrassing."
The originally energetic guests immediately became depressed when they saw the Yamen supporting him: "Yes, why did we get it wrong?"
The King of Liao was young and energetic, and he could not bear to see such a scene of bullying the weak. He raised his butt and said, "Are you blind? This is not a mouse."
"Partnering to bully foreigners is a business deal?"
"Ouch--"
King Fu, who was sitting on the same bench, the moment King Liao stood up, the bench immediately tilted up, causing him to fall off his butt.
After wailing, he rubbed his butt and walked over: "My fourth brother is right, this is exactly a mouse, how can it be a duck."
The waiter was worried about the clothes of some people, but still stubbornly said: "This is a duck neck. If you don't believe me, ask them?"
"Yes, it's a duck neck." said another customer at the table.
"A duck neck, not a mouse." The poor man who heard about it said with a frown.
The yamen servant said loudly: "A few foreign men know nothing, this is our local duck, let you know a lot!"
"You call a deer a horse, you call a deer a horse!"
The king of Liao became increasingly angry and frustrated.
At this time, the noisy guest dropped a handful of copper coins and ran away, no longer staying in the wine shop.
The yamen servant smiled and said: "Sir, although you have a distinguished status, you can take it easy in our Jinghai."
After saying that, he took a few silver coins from the counter without hesitation and left slowly.
And in the wine shop, the voice of the speaker rang out again, and the crowd continued to boil.
It was as if the excitement just now didn't exist at all.
King Liao sat down angrily.
King Fu explained: "These people know how to bully foreigners."
"Let's go." King Liao stood up: "Bah, we can't eat duck meat mixed with rats."
So a few people moved to a large restaurant and held a banquet.
Unfortunately, several people lost their appetite and left again after finishing the conversation.
When they arrived at the village where the fighting was taking place, they saw a group of angry farmers carrying hoes and forks and swaggering away from the village.
(End of chapter)
