Chapter 255 Following the Imperial Edict of Emperor Daxing
"There are 836,549 registered households in Suzhou, and there are still 1,370,000 taels of silver in the government treasury, and 400,000 shi of grain have not been escorted;
in addition..."
Chen Cao listened to Huang Chunyao's careful report, and then nodded with satisfaction, but it would definitely not be possible to clear the entire Suzhou area within a few months.
"Those who stubbornly resist will have all their property confiscated; those who surrender honestly will have their property intact and await a decision;"
Chen Cao made a few strokes on the official document as he spoke, then looked up at Huang Chunyao: "How about those rich and powerful people who were arrested?"
"They have been left out for two days without food or water, and now they all look like they are dead."
"Let's go," Chen Cao stood up: "Hold a banquet to entertain these people..."
The governor's yamen could not hold fifty tables, so the fifty tables of banquets were placed in the barracks of the governor's soldiers.
"Why, the treasonous minister also poisoned us?"
Chen Cao had just stood still on the general stage, but such an unpleasant sound appeared inappropriately in the quiet scene.
Just as Xin Zhao was about to have a fit, Chen Cao coughed, then walked closer to the stage, looked at the old guy who was speaking, and asked with a polite smile: "I wonder what the honorific title of the old gentleman is?"
"I, Zhang Shihuang, was a Jinshi in the second year of Wanli and a member of the Nanjing Ministry of Household Affairs. I have been serving as an official for twelve years now."
Chen Cao suddenly realized: "Oh, I didn't know it was Mr. Zhang who was disrespectful and disrespectful in front of me."
Seeing Chen Cao's appearance, Zhang Shihuang immediately showed his old-fashioned behavior: "Huh... I dare not be disrespectful. You, the Duke of Liang, are eating the emperor's salary, but you don't know how to be loyal to the emperor. You actually rebelled and rebelled. I will starve to death." , and I am determined not to be with you."
"The old guy doesn't know what he's doing..."
Xin Zhao couldn't help but curse...
Unexpectedly, when Zhang Shihuang saw Zhao Xin dressed in a royal guard, he mocked: "Humph, you cunning person. Now that the Holy Father has abolished the factory guards, you still dare to wear this dog skin to show off your power..."
Zhao Xin's face turned red after being scolded by Zhang Shihuang. When had he been so angry before, he was about to explode immediately. However, Zhang Shihuang had been scolding him for a long time, but Chen Cao in front of him did not refute. Zhao Xin, who knew how powerful he was, tried his best to The pressure went down.
Chen Cao turned to look at the red-faced Zhao Xin, and said with a smile: "You guys, you let a powerless old man say a few words and you can't hold your breath. How are you going to do big things in the future?"
Seeing the appearance of his father-in-law, Xin Zhao suddenly felt that he had really lost his composure. His face instantly turned green and he cupped his hands and said, "I know I was wrong..."
Zhang Shihuang was quite proud. He was already over seventy years old and had an old bone. He was killed by Chen Cao. He was also a person whose name was left in Qing history. Such people unanimously believed that people like Chen Cao were using the name "Qingjun" to side. 'The traitors who follow the flag will not succeed.
The reason is simply that now is not the time for the founding of the country.
After Chen Cao finished teaching Zhao Xin, he turned around and looked at Zhang Shihuang who was in front of the audience, and then said with a smile: "Master Zhang taught you a lesson, but is it possible that Master Zhang in front of you doesn't know what your situation is like?"
Zhang Shihuang sneered: "Haha, if I am afraid of death, why should I argue with you? You guys, a group of national thieves, are doing whatever they want under the banner of 'Qingjun side'. In addition to leaving an infamy in the history books, after the defeat, you will definitely be All nine clans will be destroyed, and you will inevitably be cut into pieces with a thousand swords..."
I don’t know if it’s because Chen Cao never retaliates against Zhang Shihuang’s curses, but the disaffected people sitting on the tables in the audience also thought that Chen Cao was trying to avoid the enemy, so they simply followed suit.
Zhang Cai's identity is not simple. He is from the same hometown as Zhang Pu and is also one of the leaders of Fushe. The only difference is that although Zhang Pu comes from a family of officials, he is just a side house. Naturally, he cannot compare with his fellow villager Zhang Cai in terms of financial resources. , Zhang Cai founded his own cooperative, and after joining him, the two cherished each other.
In addition, Zhang Cai was still a scholar. Before he could reach the Jinshi level, he was favored by Yang Weizhi and became his disciple. He was recommended as Zuo Shenzhenlang in the governor's Yamen and was responsible for the government affairs of Changzhou County and other places.
Coincidentally, Zhang Cai was the captured Changzhou official. Listening to Zhang Shihuang's loud scolding, the young man's blood was suddenly aroused. He stood up and shouted sternly: "Traitor, you are wasting your time to read the book of sages, but you can still do it." Do you know etiquette, justice and shame?"
Chen Cao watched Zhang Cai getting up from the table with great interest, and asked someone to bring a stool to sit on. He crossed his legs and listened to Zhang Cai's talk and scolding, and drank a few sips of tea from time to time, as if he were listening to a play.
However, Chen Cao really admires these scholars. The theory of governing the country is at least 99 points, but the practical operation is not even 10 points, let alone the words. The curse words are all allusions, without a single curse word, and there is no repeat.
Not long after, everyone in the audience discovered a problem. No matter how unpleasant Zhang Cai's scolding was, the protagonist on the stage smiled and nodded in agreement from time to time. It took them a long time to realize that the maid serving the dishes had arrived. With the table filled with delicacies, these hundreds of people discovered an important problem.
It has been two days since they were 'invited' to the governor's office. During these two days, hundreds of people have not eaten or drank in the governor's office. No matter how much they yelled and cursed, no one paid attention.
Those who were brave enough to go out found that the door was full of soldiers and they couldn't get out at all.
With an empty stomach, no matter how good your eloquence is, you will only face one result, and that is eating. The Temple of the Five Internal Organs will not care whether its master is talented or not.
Even after Zhang Shihuang saw the food and wine on the table, his scolding gradually became quieter, and he even ended up sitting at the table in vain, swallowing his saliva while looking at the things on the table.
If there hadn't been a soldier from the Dingwu Army standing at each table, these hungry intellectuals might have fought to grab it.
Zhang Cai felt that all his meteor fists had hit the cotton, because instead of scolding him, the people on the stage had even started eating.
"Hey, don't stop. The best thing about me is that he is honest and never hides his illness. You can scold me. I'm hungry. Eat some first. Otherwise, how can I listen to your scolding?"
What he said seemed to make sense. Zhang Cai was also hungry. Not only that, he was also a little thirsty. Although it was only June, summer had already begun in Jiangnan. It was not as good as the three volts, and the sun in the sky was still shining on these hundreds of people. People were sweating profusely.
Without the soldiers at the table hearing the order, it would be absolutely impossible for this group of people to drink and eat meat.
Slowly, the echoes disappeared, and the main attacker Zhang Cai and the assister Zhang Shihuang also died down. They all sat at the table and looked at the food on the table with their eyes shining.
"no yet?"
Chen Cao held a roast leg of lamb in his hand, which was sprinkled with chili powder and pepper. It was roasted with a mixture of oil and salt, and the aroma was fragrant. Huang Chunyao and Zhao Xin on the stage had one, and they ate it one by one. Mouth full of oil.
Chen Cao squatted beside the stage. Although he was sweating profusely, the sweat was nothing compared with the food.
"Does it smell good?"
Chen Cao tore off a piece of meat and chewed it slowly, then asked a middle-aged man in front of him.
The man swallowed hard, and then nodded involuntarily.
"Hahaha..."
After Chen Cao swallowed the meat, he laughed: "You are a bunch of idiots. I thought you were so ambitious, but you still bow your head in front of this food. Mr. Zhang, why don't you scold me? Keep scolding me. I have plenty of time. This one You can scold me as much as you want within the month, but when my army takes over the entire Suzhou Prefecture, everything will be done, and you and others will be rebellious."
No one spoke at this time, even Zhang Shihuang and Zhang Cai shut up.
"Why don't you scold me? When will you be able to eat? When will you learn to behave? I will talk to you face to face again."
After saying that, Chen Cao stood up and asked people to hold umbrellas to build a balcony. Everyone walked into the balcony and ignored the hundreds of people.
One of the middle-aged gentry was so hungry that he bravely reached out and took a piece of smoked goose on the table. However, he was slapped down by the Dingwu sergeant guarding the table. After several slaps, the gentry's teeth were knocked out. Knocked down three.
Suddenly a wail sounded.
Just listen to the soldier say: "Before the Lord said anything, he sat down in his original position. If anyone eats from the table with unclean hands and feet, the end result will not be as simple as losing a few teeth;
If anyone can't help but ask for death, please let me know immediately so that I can save food for my Dingwu army. "
The soldier's vicious words frightened the people at the table, so that hundreds of people sat at the table and drooled eagerly while looking at the table full of food, and they didn't dare to take it anymore.
After Chen Cao woke up, he found that it was already evening. He had not slept well since taking over Suzhou in the past two days. After eating and drinking the lamb leg at noon, he actually slept all afternoon.
"Um..."
Chen Cao stretched, then stared outside the balcony, and found that hundreds of people were no longer weak, especially the old men.
At this time, Chen Cao moved his tibia and felt that he felt relaxed for a long time: "What's wrong, all of you who are loyal to the country, are you willing to die to serve the country?"
Among the hundreds of people, there are only more than 200 officials, and the rest are all wealthy gentry and wealthy households in Suzhou. It is enough to say that these wealthy gentry and wealthy households should die for the country, but it is really a joke.
It is not empty talk that businessmen have no country.
Among those officials, if they said they would die for the country, they would not be captured alive by the Dingwu army.
Zhang Cai was determined to die, but unfortunately he was also hungry. After two days and one night, he really had no strength left.
"In accordance with the imperial edict of Emperor Daxing..."
The person who spoke was not an ordinary person, but Wei Zhongxian who came with the army. The eunuch spoke sharply and tightly, and a normal person would know that this person's origin was not simple.
"Our Wei Zhongxian..."
As soon as these words came out, hundreds of people were shocked. Nine-thousand-year-old Wei Zhongxian...
Everyone was shocked and speechless, but when they saw Wei Zhongxian holding up the imperial edict on yellow silk, he said seriously: "The edict of Emperor Daxing is here, why don't you kneel down to receive it?"
