As mentioned before, under the equal land system of the Wei Dynasty, there were theoretically no landlords. However, in actual operation, due to the existence of the slave class, high-ranking officials and nobles relied entirely on the loopholes of land granting to slaves to obtain large amounts of land and became super landowners; while local tyrants used various forces to force the common people to "rent" the land granting to themselves and then rebelled. If you rent it out, typical landlords will actually be born.
However, Zhang Xing stayed in the East for a year, and he knew very well that in the hometown of Dong Qi, more practical landlords did not need such complicated and practical land-land relationships. This was mainly because the gap between the government and the local government was too deep. , and the imperial government's oppression of local areas was obviously beyond the normal level, so the government had to rely on local powerful people, that is, powerful people to ensure taxes and land taxes that far exceeded the standard. In turn, it had to delegate regional powers to these local powerful people with deep roots. them.
In other words, the characteristic tyranny of the Eastern Territory was originally developed and cultivated by the government itself.
And back to the front, the middle-aged man and woman who fled the Wenshui River faced Mr. Lin and the people behind Mr. Lin. It was obvious that they had advanced again, because the troubled times came, and powerful people took advantage of the situation and became famous. Seeking truth, seeking fame with truth, and truly mastering everything at the grassroots level.
Even Zhang Xing vaguely understood that it was meaningless to forcefully discuss classes at this time, because the main reason was the disorder at the grassroots level during the turmoil - starting from the Second Expedition, large-scale wars and subsequent harsh military clearances It has already appeared that after the Three Expeditions, bandits were everywhere, and the powerful had to prepare to rebel or protect themselves. Under such circumstances, it became the instinct of the common people to completely rely on the powerful to survive, and the powerful were willing to take on the role of protector.
I don’t know how many times this kind of thing happened during the change of dynasties.
However, the two families behind this middle-aged couple are obviously "inferior" assets. The powerful people are not willing to continue to protect them, but want to sacrifice them or further adopt them as domestic slaves.
Since Zhang Xing knew the logic behind it, he did not make any moral accusations in the letter. He simply told how he met these two people, and then asked Mr. Lin in the letter whether what they said was true. If true, then these two families are already in great difficulty. In troubled times, a strong person should leave a bottom line and help the weak as much as possible, let alone a hometown, so I ask if the land tax can be collected based on the actual amount of cultivated land? And if these two families are extremely poor, he personally feels that appropriate reductions and exemptions are appropriate. Of course, if Mr. Lin is really in difficulty, he can reply to the letter and he is willing to personally contribute money to help offset the land tax.
In the end, it is natural to sign his name and position. This is what is called deposing the left-wing leader of the Dragon Gang, Zhang Xingshi.
After writing the letter, he explained a few words, asked someone to give the couple a few pieces of dry biscuits, and then urged them to turn back.
This couple didn't know how to relate. Seeing so many troops at this time, they all knew that the person in front of them was a real big shot that Mr. Lin could not reach with eight poles. He could relieve their difficulties, so they naturally returned with a lot of thanks and a letter. .
After the couple left, Zhang Xing thought for a while and continued to write several letters on the river embankment, leaning on the back of the yellow gelding horse. They were addressed to Wei Xuanding, Bai Yousi, Xu Shiying, and Yan who was in charge of the special task. Qing, Zhang Jinshu and other close friends sent reminders, asking them to pay attention to local talents when handling things.
Then, we continued on the road and arrived in Gongqiu County, Lu County on the same day.
When they arrived at Gongqiu, before entering the city, the local leader of the Deposed Dragon Gang, Bing Yuanzheng, hurriedly came to greet them. When they met, the latter was obviously uneasy.
With only the army on the side, it was hard to say anything, but soon, Jia Yue and other direct leaders went to arrange the troops respectively. Zhang Xing took Jia Runshi and Wang Xiongdan into the county government office, but Bing Yuanzheng did not dare to delay any longer. Instead, he bowed his head directly in the hall and said he was ashamed.
"What's going on? Is the gold mine in trouble again?" Zhang Xing asked in surprise.
Let us also say that when Zhang Xing discussed with several big bosses in Sucheng whether to march or postpone the advance, he mentioned that the powerful people here in Lu County did not listen to greetings, and analyzed it with several big bosses. There was something behind it, the most obvious one was Even when Lu County took over minerals and smelting sites that were nominally owned by the government, there was obvious lack of cooperation and even troublemaking in various places.
The most outrageous thing was Gongqiu. A small gold mine here even had a gang riot during the reception. About a hundred miners were incited to engage in armed confrontation, but they were quickly suppressed by the garrison.
This is of course an understandable situation. Just like under the land equalization system, all land theoretically belongs to the state, but in fact there are still landlords. Things like gold mines previously belonged to the Wei Dynasty in theory, but in fact In operation, local powerful people are also needed to assist in management... In the past year, assistance in management may have become direct possession.
At this time, the Deposed Dragon Gang wants to take this matter seriously and take back the gold mine. It is said that cutting off people's wealth is like killing their parents, which will naturally lead to the most direct confrontation.
"No." Bing Yuanzheng hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "I didn't know that Longtou was coming, and there were rumors that it was about to move eastward. At that time, some big local companies came to show their goodwill and provide guarantees. In order to appease the place, I released the people."
Zhang Xing was stunned for a moment, then asked seriously: "Who is the big local company?"
"The family's surname is Liu, and the person in charge is named Liu Fan." Bing Yuanzheng became increasingly embarrassed. "He is a local who worked as a mine supervisor in the Wei Dynasty."
The scene immediately became a little awkward.
After a while, Zhang Xing sneered and broke the silence, but then turned to other topics: "I saw many deserted villages and burned-out ferries on the road...Does Chief Bing know what's going on? "
"If it's those places on Wenshui River, of course we know." Bing Yuanzheng quickly became solemn and made a report gesture in the hall towards Zhang Dalongtou, who was sitting majestically in the hall. "The ferry was burned down several times when we retreated with the Qilu army. The earliest one dates back to the battle after the year, and the latest one was burned down when the defeated army from Lu County fled back... As for the villages, Most of them have dispersed one after another in the past six months. However, this is not because I am deliberately trying to shirk it, but it is actually the fault of other families, especially the Qilu officers and soldiers... because as far as I know, the largest wave of dispersion is, However, after Lu County was recaptured by Zhang Xuguo at the beginning of this year, military service and military service increased again, and the army marched into Yuncheng and needed to transport food along the Wen River. The locals were afraid of encountering something like the Three Expeditions again, especially those near the ferry. Many villages have fled."
Zhang Xing listened properly and nodded repeatedly, but then sighed: "Leader Bing has always been known as a smart and capable person in the gang. Previously on the Western Front, Your Excellency was stationed in Kuangcheng. Everything was done properly. Every time things were handed down, it was you and Chai Xiaohe who were there. The most reassuring thing... That’s why I specially brought you here this time, just to take advantage of your shrewdness and ability and make a small appointment."
"I'm ashamed. I really didn't expect that the leader would take this matter so seriously. I did the wrong thing for a while." Bing Yuanzheng certainly understood what the other party meant. It was still the matter just now. He came back in a circle, and his tone was still accusatory, so The atmosphere became increasingly awkward, but I could only try to explain. "But the leader, I must be honest, if you want a place to be stable, you must always pay attention to the strength of the local people. Even if there is no such thing as this accident, I think that we should be more gentle with the local people. This is the right way to achieve long-term peace and stability." …”
"I understand what you mean." Zhang Xing thought for a moment and took it seriously. "It's difficult to communicate with people thousands of miles away. If you want to manage the local area properly, you still have to go back and rely on the skills of the local people. Especially you, Leader Bing, are rare in the gang and are native officials from Dongjun. You must be very interested in it." There’s a lot of thought involved in this matter. But, let me tell you, it shouldn’t be so simple and direct if you want to use the skills of the locals... Moreover, does Leader Bing really think that doing this is doing good to the locals? "
Bing Yuanzheng was stunned for a moment and asked seriously: "Dare I ask the leader, what do you mean by this?"
"It's very simple. Let me ask you a few questions... What is the difference between what you do and how the Wei Dynasty treats local heroes? Isn't that how the Wei Dynasty gives local heroes some rewards and privileges as a means of maintaining local ties? But What was the result? Are the local people convinced?" Zhang Xing asked seriously. "Has the Wei been in peace and stability in the Eastern Territory for a long time? To put it another way, if we had not encountered the three conquests of the Eastern Yi, would it have been right for the Wei to treat the heroes of the Eastern Territory like this?"
Bing Yuanzheng was silent for a while, then he faced each other in the hall and said, "Please give me some advice from the leader."
"What I mean is very simple. When dealing with local talents, we must first relax restrictions and sincerely accept local talents into the senior ranks of the Dragon Gang. We cannot imitate the Wei Dynasty and tacitly agree that people outside Guanlong cannot enter the palace and enter the core... Of course , this is not something you can decide now, so this has nothing to do with you, but since I said it, there is no big problem with this one... You must leave people with a way to go up and hope, with this A road and no such road are not the same thing at all." Zhang Xing blurted out, as if he had already had an idea. "But how to select talents is another matter... After thinking about it, I think it's nothing more than nepotism and talent. In the end, the virtuous ones will be the best."
Not to mention Bing Yuanzheng, even Wang Xiongdan and Jia Runshi who were present were stunned.
After a while, Wang Xiongdan couldn't hold it back anymore and asked on the spot: "Uncle Zhang, is nepotism the first rule?"
"Yes." Zhang Xing smiled in the hall. "But this closeness does not mean personal closeness, but closeness from a position... The simplest example is that we are rebelling. Specifically, we were forced to rebel by the Wei Dynasty. Dare we ask, we are not even determined to rebel. People, people who still have hope for the Wei Dynasty, can we make them become big leaders?"
Bing Yuanzheng woke up after hearing the first sentence, and the other two people quickly reacted and nodded again and again.
To put it bluntly, this relationship is to distinguish the enemy's position from ours. Cao Lin is still a great master. Do you want to use him?
"For example, Sima Zheng of Xuzhou, the most talented and virtuous person I have ever seen in my life, is an enemy rather than a friend; Zhang Xuguo is actually a rare figure in the army, and so is Yu Baimei. Instead, we have to kill him quickly. Among the characters placed in these places, Fan Hu is an example." Zhang Xing also felt a little emotional, and talked about several examples before returning to the present. "As for now, the gold mine is a legitimate government property. We received it from the public according to the rules. These powerful people are hostile to us and confront us. No matter whether they misunderstood or took precautions, now that the matter is done, we will It's a temporary compromise with them, and it's just a temporary measure, so how can we really let them go? What's more, we should treat them as representatives of local heroes and appoint them?"
Bing Yuanzheng was about to speak.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Xing waved his hand slightly: "I know what you mean... Don't worry, just listen to me... The following words about talent and virtue are old sayings, and there shouldn't be any more explanation, but after all, we are not the imperial court, but a rebellion. thieves and bandits, so it is not so much about selecting people based on their talents and virtues, but rather trying their best to survive. The winner is the king. It is just that the one without virtue wins, which is just another Eastern Qi, Southern Tang, and Wei Dynasty. , victory is useless, so we must try our best to pay attention to one virtue. This is not only a matter of talents, but also the employment of people."
Zhang Dalongtou forcibly continued for a while. Some leaders must make up to three points in their speeches, so Bing Yuanzheng became distracted halfway through and nodded hurriedly.
Wang Xiongdan and Jia Runshi, on the other hand, thought of the behavior of the man and woman who fled their hometown when Zhang Xing met them on the road, and they probably had some feelings in their hearts. They also probably knew why Zhang Xing said this, but they did not say anything.
After Zhang Xing finished speaking, Bing Yuanzheng quickly raised his hands and saluted: "Longtou, what you said is absolutely true. In that case, please sit down in the hall while I go to the countryside to deal with the gold mine matter." , let’s change the strategy from here, to favor nepotism, to make further progress in judging talents, and to put the virtuous at the top.”
Zhang Xing nodded and asked with a smile: "Do you need help from soldiers and horses?"
"The leader doesn't have to be like this." Bing Yuanzheng said with a bitter smile. "I was just worried that the army was about to march eastward and that this place was empty, so I had a little face with him. In fact, I found out his background clearly. He led three or five people with cultivation skills and twenty or thirty strong men at home. He was raised in the big house, and there were about one or two hundred people scattered in the surrounding villages who were unable to leave production. They didn't even have a serious manor. They were only worried that he would incite the miners and get three to five hundred strong men to come out. But now it really needs to be done There is nothing else needed to deal with it. I just took 300 people and went straight to his house, asked him to come back, and then made it clear to him face to face... If he is obedient and willing to hand over the gold mine and send the troublemaker back, he will I will make a recommendation and ask the leader to take advantage of the situation and give him some dignity according to the term nepotism; and if he is a really self-righteous fool, it doesn’t matter if he is a leader, I will just give him some dignity myself."
Zhang Xing nodded and said no more.
Just like this, as soon as Zhang Xing entered the city, Bing Yuanzheng led two teams of three hundred soldiers out of the city... However, just in case, Zhang Dalongtou sent Wang Xiongdan to follow in a hurry.
In the evening, some sentries came back and informed them of the results.
It was said that Bing Yuanzheng and Wang Xiongdan went straight into Liu Fan's house. Liu Fan didn't even dare to return to the county town with Bing Yuanzheng because he wanted to hand over the gold mine and the person who had caused trouble before. He expressed his sincerity several times. Afterwards, the man still refused to obey... So Wang Xiongdan directly held him down. Bing Yuanzheng was a civil servant, but he took matters into his own hands and dealt with this man in his home.
It is said that the remaining seven or eight people were killed on the spot, a dozen people were arrested, and fifty kilograms of gold bricks and gold ingots were found... This was already shocking for that small gold mine.
When Zhang Xing heard the news, he didn't think too much about it. He just did his own thing, eating and sleeping when he should.
In the final analysis, regardless of what others have said before, they are actually constantly combining theory with practice. I don’t know whether my own method is the best or the one that looks beautiful... So, I thought about it for half the night. , I made up my mind that no matter what, I would try to find some locals in Lu County and support them as a model of personnel policy, in order to achieve the effect of regaining local heroes as much as possible and easing internal conflicts within the local area.
This will pave the way for the next step in governance.
With this in mind, the next day, Zhang Xingzheng only talked with some local county officials in the county government office, asked about the heroes of the county, and waited for Bing Yuanzheng to come back so that he could select candidates from the local area. Unexpectedly, around the afternoon, Bing Yuanzheng had not returned yet. Soon someone came to report that a well-known hero from the surrounding area had come in front of the door. He asked someone from the county to act as a guarantee and came to invite Zhang Longtou of the Deposed Dragon Gang.
Zhang Xing didn't know why, but after killing Liu Fan yesterday, a local tycoon immediately came to see him. Since he was sleepy and had a pillow, he was naturally happy and took the initiative to greet him.
After leaving the county government office, Zhang Dalong looked around, but he only saw about four or five people holding horses and waiting in front of the county government office. Except for a rich man dressed in brocade clothes, the rest of his hair was wet with sweat, and his common clothes were also wet. They were all soaked, and all the horses were a little sluggish, so they couldn't help but wonder whether it was these people.
However, soon a local official from the county who reported the news ran over, hurriedly talked with the man in brocade clothes, and then turned around to talk to those people.
Immediately, the wealthy man in rich clothes was relieved and actually left on the spot. On the contrary, those men in common clothes with sweat all over their heads and bodies hurried over with the county, and met the man who was wearing Liuhe boots and simply tying up his hair and appeared directly on the street. Zhang Xing was also a little surprised. He looked at it for a while, and then he was led by one of them, and he cautiously raised his hand and asked:
"But Mr. Zhang, the leader of the left wing of the Deposed Dragon Gang, is on top?"
Zhang Xing put his hands behind his hands and smiled: "It's me."
The man was still surprised, but he immediately turned around, took out an object wrapped in brocade from his arms, and carefully presented it, looking like a letter.
Zhang Xing took it and opened it. It was a letter, but the person who wrote the letter was Zhang Dalongtou himself.
After a moment, Zhang Xing thought for a moment and asked seriously: "Is your surname Lin?"
"No." After hearing this, the man finally stopped doubting and bowed down on the street on the spot. "In Tang Bairen, Xialu County, Lin Chang has been killed by me! The Wei Dynasty is corrupt and the local area is in turmoil. This man cannot support the weak in the village, but wants to bully and devour him. This has alarmed Zhang Longtou. How can he keep his head? Immediately behind, I dare not take it out easily without permission... Zhang Longtou, do you want to take a look?"
"Let's take a look." Zhang Xing nodded casually, but immediately shook his head. "Forget it...your name is Tang Bairen?"
"yes."
"Follow Lin...Lin..."
"Lin Chang..."
"What's the relationship with Lin Chang?"
"It can be regarded as a relationship between fellow villagers and superiors and subordinates...I am from Sishui. I am the three leaders of the Guishan Army that occupies three counties in the east. I am responsible for garrisoning Liangfu. Lin Chang is a local who I have established in the west of Liangfu City. I usually He still looks like a hero, but he is so miserable, as ridiculous as Wei Wei."
Zhang Xing thought for a while and suddenly asked: "When did the letter get to you?"
"This morning." That man, Tang Bairen, the three-headed dragon of the Guishan Army, answered carefully. "I happened to be patrolling in the west of the city and stayed at Lin Chang's house. The couple...the man and woman traveled all day yesterday, rested for half the night, and started their journey again early in the morning. They arrived at Lin Chang's house around this morning and immediately sent the letter to Lin Chang. Lin Chang immediately showed it to me. At that time, he didn’t know the heights of the sky and the rules, but he laughed at the dragon head and deliberately frightened him. "
Zhang Xing nodded and asked the other party: "What is the name of the place where Lin Chang lives?"
"Linjiawa."
Zhang Xing nodded again, but suddenly turned around and asked the county official: "How far is Father Liang from here?"
"Ninety miles," the county official blurted out. "It's less than a hundred miles anyway."
"Where's Lin Jiawa?"
"Seventy miles... maybe sixty miles?" After reacting, the county official felt guilty inexplicably.
Zhang Xing, on the other hand, suddenly laughed when he heard this, and then looked at the person in front of him with interest, but he still didn't know where? This guy, as the frontline commander of a powerful rebel army in Eastern Shandong and the head of a county, after reading the letter, he realized that he was about to arrive in Gongqiu County. He almost made an immediate decision and killed the powerful man surnamed Lin on the spot, and then just With three or four subordinates, he quickly crossed the military confrontation line and came to him after a journey of sixty miles.
What do you say to the visitor?
The most important thing in troubled times is talent.
This man is a talent.
And he is a talented person who obviously wants to improve.
"Why did you come to me?" Zhang Xing suddenly stopped laughing and his voice became obviously louder.
Tang Bairen bowed and kept cupping his hands, but raised his head slightly, his expression became much more serious: "The Wei Dynasty was ruthless and lost the world. Zhang Xuguo was defeated and the Eastern Territory changed hands. After the Lishan War, everyone knew that he was deposed. The Dragon Gang is unstoppable and will take over the Eastern Territory, but the local heroes are still suspicious, not because the Dragon Gang's troops are not powerful enough, but because they are worried that people will come and go and rise and fall at the same time, and the Dragon Gang will be strong but merciless, righteous and lawless. I'm here. After learning about the battle of Lishan, they sent people to investigate and learn about everything that happened to the Deposed Dragon Gang after the war. Therefore, after seeing the strict laws of the Deposed Dragon Gang before, they already had the intention to surrender. And this time, they even knew that Mr. Zhang He is a rare hero in this world, who knows the kindness of supporting the weak and the strong, so he no longer hesitates and immediately wants to see Mr. Zhang and express his feelings face to face."
At this point, Tang Bairen stood up straight and pointed his finger at himself: "I, Tang Bairen, do not have high cultivation, do not read much, and do not have enough courage and strategy. I have always known that using my talents, virtues, not to mention making achievements, I am afraid that even in troubled times, I will not be able to do anything. I can't do it, but even so, I occasionally stand up at night and think of the experiences of the Four Supreme Beings, but I still dream of participating in an immortal virtue, so as not to live in vain. But don't talk about your actions this year, so What I saw was even unsightly... That’s why today, after reading Zhang Gong’s letter, I cheered up like the rain met after a long drought, and decided to vote.”
Zhang Xing nodded, and did not step forward to touch the other person's hand to make a sincere speech. Instead, he just put his hands behind his back and said softly: "Well said."
PS: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
By the way, the helmsman group exploded. The new group is 862346159... It seems to be this... There is a click to join the group in the introduction.
(End of chapter)
