"Will the people of the world be dissatisfied with me because of this? These corrupt civil servants will really threaten me!"
After Zhu Youxiao learned what Zhang Heming and others said when they were executed, he sneered, looked at Wei Zhongxian, Xu Guangqi and others and said: "If I am really alienated from the world, the seizure of Shanxi merchants will not be successful this time!" Qin, Qi and others can refuse millions of benefits and remain loyal to the king, which shows that I have not lost the people's hearts. They are the ones who have lost the people's hearts. You can tell who the people's hearts are toward by looking at the rotten vegetables, leaves and mud that the people throw to them."
"What your Majesty said is true. The current shortcomings in the world are that the etiquette and laws are not strict and the discipline is not strong. Even among our scholars, there are many greedy, despicable and hypocritical people. If Zhang, Wang and others are severely punished, they can stir up the turmoil and promote the righteousness!
However, the powerful gentry have been arrogant for a long time, and they control local manpower and food. They are connected by in-laws, disciples and other relationships to form a powerful force. I'm afraid it has really caused their dissatisfaction!
I believe that although what Zhang Heming and others said is not completely reasonable, it does contain threats. The court should be on guard against these powerful people who are dissatisfied with the court and take advantage of any opportunity to cause trouble! "
Xu Guangqi started talking and also reminded Zhu Youxiao.
Zhu Youxiao nodded: "What Aiqing said is true. There is no coexistence between good and evil. Those who are disloyal to me and only care about their own interests will definitely not be willing to be suppressed by me like this.
However, although they have power, I also have power. My power is the majority of the people in the world who just want to live a peaceful life, and they are loyal and good people who know the righteousness! "
Zhu Youxiao then added: "Now that I assert my monarchy and implement strict government, I uphold the rule of law alone and reject all opinions. Naturally, those who are most dissatisfied with me are the Jiangnan scholar-bureaucrats who have the most wealth in the world. Therefore, I will have to go down sooner or later. Go to the south of the Yangtze River! Otherwise, the scholars and people in the south of the Yangtze River really don’t know that they have a monarch and really think that the world belongs to the gentry!"
Xu Guangqi raised his hands and said yes.
Nowadays, in the Ming Dynasty, especially in the Jiangnan area, scholar-bureaucrats are free and undisciplined, rituals and music have collapsed, their behavior is undisciplined, and they do not take the court system seriously;
The lighter ones just dress without respect for etiquette when traveling or even living, such as businessmen wearing brocade, gentry wearing golden nanmu, or even men dressing up as women, applying makeup and powder, and swaggering through the market;
In severe cases, they like to talk about current affairs and are aggressive with government agencies. They often write public posts, that is, make anonymous reports to manipulate public opinion.
In the view of Xu Guangqi, who is more pragmatic in his thinking, this requires the monarch to implement strict governance, purify the government and officials, rebuild the etiquette and hierarchy order, increase the control of the court to promote production, and curb the unscrupulous mergers and acquisitions by powerful forces, instead of like now There is no order, so that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The government cannot restrain the wealthy families, but acts as the lackeys of the wealthy families, making order more and more chaotic.
However, although Zhu Youxiao decided to go to Jiangnan in the future to strengthen his control over Jiangnan as the emperor, he also knew that if he did not bring enough soldiers and horses by then, he would not be able to fight with the majority of the gentry in Jiangnan who were in the same spirit. of.
Therefore, Zhu Youxiao believes that it is still necessary to intensify military training and expand the number of soldiers and horses that he can directly control. Only in this way can he ensure that the nine sides are not chaotic while also controlling the south of the Yangtze River. After all, although the Ming Dynasty has many military households, but Most of them were farmers who only knew how to farm, and there were very few elite soldiers who were directly affiliated with the imperial court.
"The confiscation of Shanxi merchants this time proves that Qin Liangyu, Qi Jin and many other Ming generals are still loyal and can be used. Therefore, our new army based on them must continue to train. This time the number one in the martial arts hall will be The first semester of trainees is about to graduate, and recruitment work must begin. Your Ministry of War and the Royal Horse Supervisor are responsible for this matter. The new army will be called the Habayashi Guards. All those who succeed as guards officers and soldiers will be given the status of Habayashi Guards. As for The internal ranks range from the lowest of the Yulin Guards to the governors. Like the Jinyi Guards, they belong to my personal army, but the Yulin Guards are responsible for conquering and opening up territories for me!"
"Yes! I would like to ask Your Majesty, where are the soldiers recruited for this recruitment? Are they the refugees living in shacks outside the city or the local people with households?"
Xu Guangqi asked.
"Of course they are local people with households. Especially in the early days of the New Army, officers and soldiers must have clean and verifiable family backgrounds and cannot be mixed with people with ulterior motives. Not only must they only be local people with households, but they must also only recruit good family members from Huangzhuang. This is convenient. I am in control. In addition, I will adopt the opinions of Luo Shangzhi, Qi Jin and other generals from the Qi family army. The new recruits must be honest and obedient."
Zhu Youxiao started talking.
"I obey the decree!"
Xu Guangqi replied.
Then, Zhu Youxiao looked at Liu Ruoyu and ordered: "You are also in charge of the Royal Horse Supervisor. After the people of Huangzhuang join the army, you will be responsible for their own treatment and the treatment of their families. According to my decree, all those who officially join the army in Huangzhuang will be given His monthly salary is one tael, which reduces the rent by 50%. After the Huangzhuang social school is established, he can send one of his children to study in the social school for free, and he will receive a monthly subsidy of one coin. In the future, Huangzhuang will set up a social school to improve the internal literacy rate of Huangzhuang. , so that they know the meaning of loyalty and filial piety."
Liu Ruoyu took the initiative to ask after Zhu Youxiao said: "If the emperor reduces the rent by 50%, then the rent income of the tenants of Huangzhuang will be greatly reduced. It is not much different from not paying, and the income of Huangzhuang is no longer included." Money is the main source of income, and is even dispensable, so from the perspective of slaves, why doesn’t the emperor directly exempt the tenants of the imperial village from rent, so that they can be more grateful for the emperor’s favor?”
"Although the rental income of Huangzhuang is not the main source of internal funds now, it cannot be exempted from rent just because it is small. First, you cannot let the people lose their awareness of paying for food. Second, you cannot let the people who manage Huangzhuang lose their income. Third, these rents should be collected for more uses, such as for public purposes such as dredging canals and digging wells and dams."
Zhu Youxiao rejected Liu Ruoyu's proposal and asked Liu Ruoyu: "Where is the nearest Imperial Mansion in Gyeonggi Province?"
"Going back to your Majesty, the nearest one is Xijiao Huangzhuang."
Liu Ruoyu replied.
"Go to the Western Suburbs Imperial Mansion tomorrow to have a look."
Zhu Youxiao said something.
The next day, Zhu Youxiao came to Huangzhuang in the western suburbs, accompanied by Xu Guangqi and other officials from the martial arts hall and a group of eunuchs from the inner court, Jin Yiwei.
As soon as he arrived at Huangzhuang in the western suburbs, Zhu Youxiao saw that the entire Huangzhuang was surrounded by thatched huts, hidden among the tall trees. The vast fertile fields were densely dotted around the huts, and there were some mountains in the distance, but they were not used. , after all, sweet potatoes and corn have not been promoted on a large scale in this era.
The tenants of Huangzhuang were all kneeling on both sides of the road, not daring to raise their heads, and were blocked from the spears by the sergeants who had come to maintain order.
Zhu Youxiao took a look at these tenants. They were better than the photos of people in the late Qing Dynasty he saw online in his previous life. They were much stronger and taller, and their expressions were not so numb. Their simplicity revealed curiosity about the emperor. Although their clothes were It is also a short coat of coarse cloth, but it is neat and clean.
Of course, Zhu Youxiao didn't know if the eunuchs and eunuchs who managed the imperial village had made some preparations in advance and asked the common people to sort out their images in advance, so they didn't look like beggars, but those clear and bright eyes couldn't be faked. of.
