To completely control the place, the first thing to deal with is the various guard posts.
Fortunately, those guard posts and the several prefectures combined now have a considerable military strength, which should be more than 10,000, but the actual number of troops is only a few thousand.
Not to mention, the fighting ability is no different from that of ordinary people.
Moreover, several commanders have been hereditary from generation to generation since the early Ming Dynasty. They have long become vassals of the family and there is no room for resistance at all.
So soon, the guardsmen of several prefectures who relied on the Great Wall completely defected.
As for the camp soldiers, the outcome was the same. General Taijin Yan had already defected to the family, and General Ning Shao was vacant, but his subordinates also defected to them.
…
"what happened?"
"Didn't I say that I would enlist the common people to repair the official courtyard? Why is it still in such a dilapidated state after so many days?"
The magistrate of Ningbo Prefecture looked grim. He stood in front of a house, which was what he called the official courtyard, and said.
However, this house is gorgeously decorated, and its construction style does not look like a temple, but more like a private residence. The backyard is a little old and damaged.
The yamen servant on the side looked sad and replied in a low voice:
"Your Majesty... I took my brothers to recruit civil servants with my humble position, but the so-called mayor of the other party actually beat us up with sticks... He said, he said, the governor has no obligation to help you repair your own yard. This is not what the imperial corvee is for."
"Several towns are so rampant."
"Not only that, they also said... from now on, they will not respect even the official's corvee."
As the officer spoke, there was still a deep sense of disbelief in his words.
Not only because this person dared to be so presumptuous towards the prefect, and even directly revealed the other party's private use of public weapons, but also because of the other party's arrogance, he even thought that he had heard wrongly.
You must know that corvee is the obligation of the people of Ming Dynasty! Even if you pay the labor tax, if the court fails to recruit enough people, it can be levied directly on you.
The only people who could avoid corvee labor were refugees and rebels.
Refugees, definitely not, these guys are safe and sound.
That can only be...
Thinking of this, the yamen servant couldn't help but shudder.
When the prefect heard this, his eyes widened and his heart was filled with shock.
Although many towns under the control of the Yan family have been based on the family's orders a long time ago, at that time, after all, there was no idea of confronting the imperial court, so in some administrative, judicial and other matters, after all, Still listen to the prefect and county magistrate.
After all, if these officials reported to the court and explained some of the things happening here, even the Duke of Yue would be in trouble, and even arouse the suspicion of the emperor.
Corvettes and taxes are all paid and served on time. Although they also have clan laws and regulations, they are limited to their own clansmen. If others commit crimes in the town, they are still handed over to the county government. In fact, this is also the norm for rural clans in the Ming Dynasty, and there is no excuse for it.
Even though these clan rules are too complete, they are not similar to ordinary and simple rural rules and village customs.
The prefects and county magistrates also knew that this clan was not easy to mess with, so after receiving the money, they naturally would not say anything more. So in general, the cooperation over the years has been very good, and the family has a lot of autonomy, but it does not make the prefects and counties feel completely ignored, and they live in peace.
The two sides formed a delicate balance.
But now...
With the last bit of luck in his heart, the prefect sent someone to invite the elders of the Yan family to question him face to face.
"That's the literal meaning, sir." The clan elder calmly took a sip of tea and said with a smile:
"You don't have to count on those guard posts and camps. The various commanders and generals have already been taken care of."
"Don't worry, your filial piety will never be less. Originally, you only had ten thousand taels of silver a year. I will increase it to fifteen thousand taels a year for you."
"We will still pay the taxes, but we won't bother your officials to collect them. We will deliver them to you on our own."
After all, this is an important financial and taxation center. If it suddenly disappeared, it would definitely attract attention.
As for how much to pay, that's a matter of opinion. You must know that in recent years, due to the proliferation of potatoes and sweet potatoes, the harvest has been much better, but Yan Ling obviously does not intend to take advantage of this for them.
"Furthermore, we will not touch the county or prefecture. You have absolute authority here. But similarly, don't go to our villages and towns to cause trouble...otherwise, what happened today is just polite. According to our clan law , these guys who bully others can stay in prison for ten to eight years."
The clan elder finished describing their request in an understatement.
The prefect was a little stunned when he heard this. For a while, he was speechless.
Not only do these guys not intend to serve as corvees, they even want to imprison officials sent by the imperial court under private laws. This is to set up private courts!
"What you are doing is tantamount to conspiracy!" The prefect's gray beard trembled violently, and these words popped out from between his teeth:
"Back off now, I can still pretend to be ignorant!"
It's one thing that he loves money, but he is not willing to lose his power and become a puppet because of a little money. You must know that with the wealth of Ningbo Mansion, if it were not for the Yan family to restrain him and make money, tens of thousands of taels of silver a year would not be a problem at all.
Not only that, if the imperial court finds out about this, they will be screwed. When the time comes, they will not be able to accuse themselves of being treason.
That is the crime of destroying the nine tribes! It's not worth it for a little money.
Moreover, he saw that these guys were not bent on rebellion. If they openly occupy the prefecture or county seat, then they are really rebelling. If the other party does not, it proves that there is still room for communication.
So he still wanted to negotiate. He really didn't want to join the bandits.
"Your Excellency is also a scholar and has the reputation of being a scholar. How could you do such a heinous and unethical act?"
He looked at the clan elder and said:
"Don't you know the principle of loyalty to the emperor?"
"Loyal to the Lord?" The clan elder smiled and said:
"That Your Majesty Wuxing? Your Majesty the First Assistant, your bones are still cold."
"The Lord of the Palace asked me if I knew the principle of loyalty to the emperor. I would like to ask the Lord of the Palace, if I know the principle of 'the king regards his ministers as his brothers and feet, and his ministers regard him as his heart and soul; the king regards his ministers as grass and grass, and his ministers regard him as the enemy'?" "
"What's more, the world today is still the prosperous age of the past? There are already wars everywhere, and the people are in dire straits. So, how can we be loyal?"
The prefect froze on the spot.
After all, this is true.
With the death of Yan Chenhao and the surge of rumors, many officials of the Ming Dynasty have now been shaken in their loyalty to the emperor.
After the death of Duke Yan Wenzhong (Yan Chenhao posthumously named Wenzhong), the court had no direct ministers. This rumor among the people is not empty talk. Now many officials have prioritized their own protection before doing anything.
He wanted to refute, but was speechless. In the end he could only whisper:
"Reverse, reverse..."
But then, he seemed to have thought of something, and a light flashed in his eyes.
Revealing the crime of rebellion... This huge achievement was even enough for him to advance several levels in a row.
But then, he thought, since the other party dared to show off his cards, how could he not be prepared for this?
They have been operating here for hundreds of years, and their roots are far deeper than anyone could imagine. If his messenger is discovered...
They will never hesitate to kill people, especially now that even the guardsmen have surrendered to them, and no one can check them.
The more he thought about it, the more timid he became.
He looked up at the clan elder and saw the other person looking at him with a smile.
Even if he didn't agree today... He glanced at the clan elder's guard and felt that the other person was filled with murderous aura, and the sword on his waist seemed to be unsheathed at any time.
The prefect took a deep breath and finally made a difficult decision:
"Fifteen thousand taels is not enough, I want 20,000 taels!"
When the clan elder heard this, he immediately laughed:
"make a deal."
(End of chapter)
