When Hong Shiming, Wang Shirong and Wu Sangui's grandson Wu Shilin and their entourage brought the congratulatory gifts from Emperor Kangxi to Wu Yingxiong and Kong Sizhen, they also held the "Qing Wu Jingxiang Treaty" that had just been sealed with the "Emperor's Treasure" of the Qing Dynasty. The text arrived at Jingzhou City again. This city, which is about to become the capital of a country, is immersed in joy.
Because just two days ago, the good news of "Wu Shi"'s recovery of Wuchang, Hanyang, and Hankou was reported to Jingzhou Fucheng.
For the people of Jingzhou City, the recovery of the three towns of Wuchang, Hanyang, and Hankou not only means that they are closer to becoming the people of the capital, but also means that the possibility of them being slaughtered by the Manchurian heavenly troops is extremely slim.
Now Jingzhou has the dangers of Jingmen to the north, dangers of the Han River and the Yangtze River to the east, and the fortifications of Wuchang and Hanyang, which can be said to be impregnable. As for the west and south sides, they are Wu Sangui's territory, so there is no need to worry.
Moreover, the people of Jingzhou are not worried about the old Zhu family from Guangdong and Jiangxi coming all the way to fight, because both Zhu and Wu know the principle that people value scarcity. Only the Qing Dynasty didn't care... If Wu Sangui hadn't detained more than 10,000 Eight Banners soldiers and wanted to kill them at any time this time, the Qing soldiers would have massacred Wuchang, Hanyang, and Xiangyang before withdrawing.
This incident also allowed the people of Jingzhou to fully understand who the real "Qing Dynasty people" were!
Wu Sangui also lost no time in taking some measures to win people's hearts, such as waiving the debts accumulated by Chongzhen forty-six years ago and announcing that he would implement equal land and equal taxes starting next year.
The specific measures are that in addition to the Xunzhuang fields (to be distributed to the meritorious soldiers of the Wu family army) taken from the pseudo-officials, green camps and wastelands, the Huguang area ruled by the Wu family will start counting the land and population starting next year. After the inventory is completed, Lao Wu's family will be like Lao Zhu's family in Guangdong. They must equalize the land first and then the taxes. They must also divide the land into acres and employ the method of hiring servants.
However, Wu Sangui's land equalization will adopt the method of "compensating less and not retreating more"...that is to say, setting a lower limit for land equalization, and Wu Sangui will make up for the land that cannot be reached, and there is no need to hand over the land if it exceeds it!
This equalization of land is really a happy one for everyone!
Of course, the land that Wu Sangui used to supply poor and lower-middle peasants was a bit far away...it was all over there in Chongqing and Chengdu!
If you want to farm there, you must first learn the art of shooting tigers with a musket, and you must organize an armed immigration group to move there collectively with hundreds or thousands of people carrying muskets at a time. Fortunately, Wu Sangui will arrange these things properly. He is not afraid of armed Han people's rebellion now.
In the history that Wu Sangui knew, under the rule of the Han court, the Han people would usually rise up when the conflict between man and land became extremely intensified, when the land was highly concentrated, or when they encountered a monarch who was really messing around. Now there are more tigers than people in Sichuan and there is plenty of land. What kind of rebellion are you going to create?
In addition, the old Wu family will also open a subject to obtain scholars starting from next year. Scholars from Huguang, Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou can take the exam to become officials.
In fact, allocating land, developing frontiers, encouraging production, etc. are the most common measures used by the founding emperors. New officials need three things to do before taking office, let alone a founding monarch?
Where can it be like the Qing Dynasty? After the founding of the country, there were such activities as "enclosure, shaving, house occupation, city massacre, surrender, escape law, coastal border relocation, and wicker border walls" to actively reduce the population, reduce production, and clear the borders. measures?
Moreover, the Qing Dynasty was very efficient in doing this kind of thing, and it was very ruthless!
With the contrast between the Qing Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty, as long as others are normal and do whatever they want after they come to power, they will be wise!
Now that the particularly ruthless Qing Dynasty has been defeated, and Huguang is now governed by Wu Mingjun, the good days of the common people are about to come, can they not be happy? Don't the Han people just want a wise king who can let them live a peaceful life for a few years?
So Hong Shiming, who accompanied Wu Shilin into Jingzhou City, felt really bad at this moment!
Everyone on the street he saw through the small curtain of the carriage had a smile on their face... Shouldn't the faces of these people have expressions of numbness and pain? What's wrong with Hubei people? Why are you all so happy? Don't they know that Wu Sangui is a bad guy to the core?
These people are so gullible!
Just when he was thinking of this, the carriage suddenly stopped. Hong Shiming poked his head out of the carriage and looked forward, and asked Ma Baodao, the Wu Jiajun cavalry chief who accompanied him: "Where are you? Are you at the Presidential Palace?"
"We're almost there," Ma Bao said with a smile, "Mr. Hong, hide your braid and take off your official hat. With this hat on...take off your official robe as well."
"What do you mean?" Hong Shiming looked at Ma Bao nervously, thinking that Ma Bao was going to force him to join Wu Sangui and become a founding hero. Although he was looking forward to it in his heart, the loyal ministers of the Qing Dynasty still had to pretend. Moreover, when he became an official, he was a minister of the Qing Dynasty. He had never been a minister of the 23456. He was not familiar with such things as surrender!
"It's not interesting... Do you look at those people outside the Presidential Palace in front of you?" Ma Bao said and raised his finger to the front.
Hong Shiming turned around and looked over, and saw that the square outside the Presidential Palace was now crowded with people, all of whom were wearing ordinary people's clothes. It seemed that some people were shouting slogans feebly.
He listened carefully, and it turned out to be: "Long live the President, the President will be the emperor..."
Ma Bao smiled and said: "The people of Jingzhou all support the President and oppose the Qing Dynasty that Mr. Hong is loyal to. Now because they came outside the presidential palace to persuade them to come in, the road is blocked, so we have to dismount and walk... If you are dressed like this, If the people see it, they might get beaten!"
It turns out it was not about persuading surrender.
Hong Shiming was afraid of being beaten, so he had to follow Ma Bao's instructions, change into a green hat, and hide his pigtails. Then he followed Ma Bao on a detour, passing through a construction site that had just been circled and the land was being leveled on the right side of the Presidential Palace. Then we entered the presidential palace through a side door.
When passing by the construction site, Hong Shiming also asked Ma Bao about it. Ma Bao told him that a palace was being built here - it was Wu Sangui's palace!
The current Presidential Palace is the original Prince Hui's Palace, which was once set on fire by Zhang Xianzhong. Later, it became a barracks for the Qing army and was repaired, but it was still a bit shabby. After Wu Sangui arrived, he had people renovate it inside and out. The project was still huge and it has not been completed yet.
While walking in the Presidential Palace, Hong Shiming pondered: "Unexpectedly, the renovation of the Presidential Palace has not been completed yet, and the palace construction project has started again... It seems that Wu Sangui is really old and ready to become the emperor. After that, he would enjoy the rest of his life in the comfort of Jingzhou. And Wu Yingxiong was of middle-class talent. If he could keep the family business left by Wu Sangui, it would be good to control his brash brother. The future of the world still depends on the Qing emperor and the emperor. Grandson of Zhu San!"
Thinking of this, Hong Shiming had given up his intention of defecting to Wu and made up his mind to become a loyal minister of the Qing Dynasty.
After all, Wu Sangui and Hong Shiming were family friends, so they did not formally receive him and the returning Wu Shilin in the main hall. Instead, a family banquet was held for Hong Shiming in the "White Fish Pond" of the Presidential Palace, which is a pavilion next to the pond in the back garden where the auspicious white dolphin is.
And when Hong Shiming, Wu Shilin, and Wang Shirong followed Ma Bao to the edge of the Baiyu Pond, they suddenly heard Wu Sangui's angry curses coming from the pavilion.
"What a fool, that boy named Zhu is really nothing! I now occupy the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and Han River. I have never thought about going down the river to snatch the southeast from him. I just want to be a three-pointer in Jingzhou Prefecture. The emperor of the world will enjoy it for a few more years. Fortunately for him, he actually sent troops to occupy Qingjiang Town, Lujiazui, Longping Town, Wuxue, Fuchikou, Tianjia Town, Banliangshan, Makou, Huangsekou... .And they also occupied Xingguo Prefecture, which is rich in ironware! Damn it, if the second brother hadn’t moved in quickly enough, that kid would have robbed Wuchang Prefecture. It’s such a deception, and I’m so angry!”
Hearing Wu Sangui's words, Hong Shiming knew that Zhou Peigong's "two tigers competing for food" strategy worked!
Zhu Heji really couldn't help but come to compete for the territory of Wuchang Mansion!
Moreover, Wu Sangui indeed has no ambition to annex the world. This old thief is already old after all...
