At the time, it was determined by Lingdi's message that several county governors retained their official positions and only exchanged them.
Zheng Mingyi is one of them.
But that doesn’t mean I won’t touch you later.
Whether you can stabilize your official position, this time is an opportunity.
Zheng Mingyi knows this very well.
Therefore, he was particularly concerned, put down other government affairs at hand, proposed to take charge of it himself, and discussed it with the county magistrate Zhang Xuan for a long time in the study.
The final decision was to start in the countryside as its impact would be faster on the periphery.
Yangzhong County, Xiaoba Village.
"Fathers and fellow villagers!"
"The imperial decree has been issued, and Yangzhong County will soon be governed by Qin."
"The government is re-clearing the land."
"Folks who don't have farmland, go and have a look."
A clerk was holding a gong and shouting loudly while banging it.
In this situation, every household ran out and stood at the door to discuss with their neighbors.
"Do we want Qin to rule Yangzhong County?"
"It seems so. It should have been like this a long time ago. I have a relative who lives in Dingyuan. He sent me a message a while ago saying that his family has several acres of fields. If the harvest is good next year, they will not worry about hunger in the future. I’m pregnant.”
"How is it possible? We ordinary people can still have our own farmland? Doesn't it all belong to the rich and powerful?"
"It's true. I heard that Qin's policy is to strive for people to have land and a place to live."
"Is it a dream to have farmland and a place to live? It would be great if we could stutter."
"Alas, I only get a small amount of food for farming for Master Ma every year. I would be thankful if there weren't so many taxes. I wouldn't dare to ask for my own farmland."
"Last year, Mr. Ma arranged for me to plant the land in his ditch. In the end, he only gave me 20% of the harvest and paid half of the tax. Our family has nothing to eat."
"Didn't that person just say that the government was measuring the land under the big weir? Why don't you go and see if it's true?"
People talked a lot, and the news quickly spread throughout the village, causing a sensation.
No common people don’t want to have their own farmland and their own small home. This is their greatest luxury and happiness.
Ma Fusheng's ancestors were down-and-out powerful people. After arriving in Xiaoba Village, they colluded with corrupt officials, plundered and annexed fertile land, and almost enslaved the entire village.
Of course, someone had complained before, but it was of no use because Lingguo's policy did not lie in this. The common people are nothing more than untouchables. Those who stutter can hang themselves. The wealthy and powerful are the targets of the government.
When Qin's decree comes down, a sensation is inevitable.
The entire Xiaoba Village is basically composed of thatched earthen houses, except for the wealthy family compound of Ma Fusheng. Of course, his money comes from squeezing the villagers.
In the yard, Ma Fusheng was lying on a lounge chair, his eyes slightly closed, holding a small teapot in his left hand, tapping the side of the chair gently with his right hand, and humming an unknown tune.
There was a lot of commotion in the village. He heard it but didn't understand the content clearly and didn't pay much attention to it.
However, the housekeeper on the side said cautiously: "Master, listening to this, is it possible that the food we distributed this year is a little less, and the people are a little resentful?"
The farmland in the village has been occupied by Ma Fusheng. Every year, he allocates the fields to the villagers to cultivate for him. Now that the autumn harvest has passed, this year's harvest is very good, but for him, it is hard-earned food distributed to the people, but it is not. It's very, very little. Once you pay taxes, there won't be much left.
Ma Fusheng didn't take it seriously at all, and sneered: "Those untouchables, whoever dares to be dissatisfied will not be given a field next year, and it depends on what he eats! You have to come and beg me!"
"What the master said is absolutely true. It's the little people who worry too much." The housekeeper agreed deeply. He was still ruthless in picking off the skin and drinking blood. Not only that, he could also easily control these untouchables.
But soon, a servant hurried in and said in a panic: "It's not good, sir! Someone is measuring the land below the weir."
"What the hell?" Ma Fusheng was stunned and didn't react.
"Someone is measuring our land." The servant repeated again.
This time Ma Fusheng heard it clearly and stood up with a bang.
He annexed and occupied all the fields in Xiaoba Village, which totaled more than 700 acres. However, the official document album only recorded 300 acres. Those 400 acres were hidden to evade taxes. If this was measured, Yes, that’s okay!
Thinking of this, he didn't want the small teapot in his hand, threw it away and walked away: "Come on, let me go and see! Who has the heart of a bear and the courage of a leopard!"
After saying this, he greeted more than a dozen servants, holding sticks, and headed to the village's big weir.
Dayan in Xiaoba Village is a small natural reservoir used for water storage and irrigation, with a large area of farmland below it.
At this time, villagers were standing everywhere on the field ridge, still talking about it.
Zheng Mingyi came here in person. As the highest official of the county, after receiving the news, the Yangzhong County Magistrate naturally accompanied and acted as a guide in person.
He was accompanied by the county magistrate Zhang Xun, the county lieutenant Cao Jin, and some officers and soldiers from the Wuwei Mansion.
In the farmland, there are small officials responsible for surveying at work.
Of course, the working locations are not only here, but also in ditches in the village, on the edges of mountains and forests, etc., including all farmland.
When Ma Fusheng was born, he saw exactly this scene.
He was originally menacing, but after seeing the uniformed officers and soldiers, his momentum immediately weakened. As he walked that way, he shouted in a low voice: "Put it away! Put it all away!"
When all the servants heard this, they threw their sticks into the ditch.
No matter how arrogant Ma Fusheng was, he would not dare to openly confront the officers and soldiers with a stick. After doing this, he did not forget to curse at the servant who reported the news: "Are you a stupid pig? You can't tell clearly that it's from the government!" "
"This." The servant swallowed, not daring to talk back.
"Look, Master Ma is here."
"Are you bringing so many people with you to stop the government?"
"I just saw them carrying sticks."
The villagers began to discuss quietly again.
Zheng Mingyi also heard the noise, but he ignored it and continued to look at the officials measuring in the farmland with his hands behind his back.
Not long after, Ma Fusheng came closer, but was stopped by officers and soldiers.
He had to cup his hands and say with a shy smile: "I'm dismounting Fusheng, I don't know how many adults are here."
Zheng Mingyi didn't know him, but when he came, he must have asked the Yangzhong County Magistrate to bring the official atlas of Xiaoba Village's farmland. Naturally, he also checked it and knew that this Ma Fusheng occupied all the farmland in the village.
"Let him come over." Zheng Mingyi glanced sideways at him.
Officers and soldiers must be ordered to get out of the way.
Ma Fusheng nodded quickly and bowed forward. Just as he was about to speak, Zheng Mingyi pointed directly at the farmland being measured: "These fields are all yours, right?"
"To be fair to the Sheriff, these farmlands under Dayan do belong to villains." Ma Fusheng obviously recognized the official uniform of the Sheriff.
"The imperial government decreed that all the farmland in Zhang Hongyang County should be cleared again. I heard that Mr. Ma has more than 300 acres of fertile land. He is considered to be a unique big family in Xiaoba Village."
(End of chapter)
