Over the past five thousand years of history, there have been so many tragedies in troubled times.
Looking at three thousand pages of historical materials, it is better to experience it personally.
Zuo Mengeng is in this state now.
The chaos in the late Ming Dynasty has many opinions from later generations. Be generous and give guidance to the country.
But only through actual experience and experience can we understand that no one is qualified to demand too much from the people of this era.
This is still Linqing, a place where the disaster is not serious.
But the farmers are no longer able to survive and are always facing the threat of death.
Think again about the situation in Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Henan...
Without rebellion, is there any other way out?
Before coming to Zhuangzi, Zuo Menggeng had a dispositional attitude.
In any case, the landlord resisted the rent and injured Zuo Yan. As the master of Zuofu, he naturally sits on Zuofu's side and must be given an explanation.
But after truly seeing the plight of the farmers, his last trace of anger dissipated.
"The servants who hit people have been punished by the government with ten sticks each. Since Liang Yue's family has lost their lives, the matter is over and the government will no longer pursue it."
Zuo Mengeng made his decision.
"Master..."
Zuo Hua, who had just gotten up, was a little reluctant, but looking at the corpse floating in the cold wind, he finally swallowed the rest of his words.
After all, he was just irritable and not evil-hearted, and he didn't feel that his father's injury required so many lives to compensate.
The bankers waited fearfully for the verdict of their fate, but they did not expect this result.
Once the clouds cleared, everyone knelt in front of Zuo Mengeng and tried their best to express their gratitude.
"Young Master is truly the Buddha in this world, so compassionate and merciful!"
"Thank you for your forgiveness, young master. We all kowtow to you!"
This scene did not make Zuo Mengeng feel better. On the contrary, he felt cold.
Did he do something?
He just spared the innocent people, but these people regarded him as a Bodhisattva.
Why do people's wishes become so humble?
"Everyone, get up and let's talk."
Zuo Mengeng took a deep breath and felt that something needed to be done.
The bankers got up one after another and looked over eagerly, wondering what the young master was going to do.
Zuo Mengeng no longer pursues the case, which is indeed gratifying. But the fragile bankers really can't stand any trouble.
Zuo Mengeng has already seen that there are only two people in Zhuangzi who can really talk to each other.
One is Lao Qintou and the other is Zhang Yan.
He pulled the two of them to sit down and let other villagers surround them.
“How was the harvest this year?”
Speaking of this, many of the bankers cried on the spot.
The ravine-like wrinkles on Lao Qin's face became more and more obvious.
"Master, I can't live anymore. It rained in late spring this year, and there was a severe drought throughout the year. The crops planted in the fields died one by one. We just stood on the edge of the fields and watched. There was nothing we could do. No. When I arrived in Qiu'er, I cleaned up a lot, and there was not even two bushels per acre of land."
Zuo Mengeng did some calculations in his mind and felt extremely heavy.
Based on the level of agricultural cultivation in the Ming Dynasty, one acre of grain production in an ordinary year should produce one or two stones. Now it is less than one tenth, which shows how serious the disaster is.
But he had some doubts. He pointed to the jade belt not far away and said, "Since it's drought, why don't we get water for irrigation?"
Yes, there is clearly a small river outside Zhuangzi, about five or six feet wide. It's not freezing yet, you can see the gurgling river, and there's still plenty of water.
Zuo Mengeng couldn't figure it out. Why did the farmers watch their fields die of drought when they were clearly leaning on the river?
Unexpectedly, when talking about this, the faces of the bankers became even more ugly, and even Zuo Gui was furious.
"Young master, I don't know something. If you want to bring water from the river, you have to pass through Feng Yuanwai's field next door. But Feng Yuanwai is determined to acquire our land and won't let us get water."
Zuo Mengeng was furious.
"Isn't this reasonable? The disaster is like a fire. If you harvest more food, you can save a few more lives. How can that member Feng be so vicious? Let's go and settle the score with him."
However, no one made any move. Zuo Rong and Zuo Gui continued to block Zuo Mengeng.
"Master, you must not do it. That member Feng is very powerful and we cannot afford to offend him."
Zuo Mengeng was not a hot-blooded young man after all, so he suddenly calmed down.
"Then what is Yuan Feng's background?"
Zuo Gui knew it very well.
"That member Feng is the nephew of the guard eunuch Feng Lun. He is a tyrant here and no one dares to mess with him. If we start trouble with him, our family will have endless troubles."
Zuo Mengeng was helpless when he heard that he was the nephew of the guarding eunuch.
This is really untouchable.
Everyone knows that a person who can serve as a guard eunuch must be a close confidant of the emperor, or a filial son or grandson of a big boss in the palace.
This kind of person has great eyes and hands, and can easily defeat local officials.
A small family like the Zuo family was out of reach for the common people. In the eyes of the eunuchs who guarded it, it was not even a sesame seed or a mung bean.
I never expected that there would be such a real Buddha squatting next to my village.
Zuo Mengeng almost wanted to vomit blood when he thought about being unable to get water even though he relied on the river, and could only sit back and watch the crops die from drought.
Zuo Gui was still afraid that he would be impulsive and kept nagging.
"The guard eunuch Feng Lun is Li Chaoqin's godson and a popular figure in the palace. The young master must not get angry with such people, lest disaster befall him."
Zuo Mengeng rolled his eyes.
"You mean... Feng Lun is Li Chaoqin's godson?"
Before Zuo Gui could answer, the corners of Zuo Mengeng's mouth slowly curved. Looking at the fields outside Yuan Feng in the distance, it was like looking at the fragrant fat.
But this matter is not urgent, I have to go back and plan slowly.
Success or failure also depends on chance.
The current situation in Zhuangzi has reached a point where there is no need to delay.
"The harvest is bad, how are you spending this winter?"
Old Qin looked at Zhang Yan. Zhang Yan hesitated several times, but he was honest.
"At this time in previous years, we would all go into the city and help with the work at the dock. Farmers have plenty of strength and can earn some hard money to support their families. But this year, the refugees have all come to us. They are not allowed in the city, so we have to work Lean on it.”
The refugees who came from all directions to eat put great pressure on Linqing, and the government had to send people to stop them outside the city.
For safety reasons, the entrance and exit of the city gate are also strictly controlled.
Officials like Zuo Menggeng naturally come and go at will, but ordinary people cannot.
The harvest in the fields was poor, and it was impossible to work in the city.
For the farmers in Zhuangzi, this winter is probably a matter of life and death.
Old Qintou saw that Zuo Menggeng was not as domineering as other masters, so he started to talk more.
"Months ago, before all the crops in the fields were harvested, the government came, and the land tax and Liao rates were collected for five years. It was not enough for the farmers to fill in their wealth, and several families simply fled. In the spring of next year, the government They have to drag us to work again. Alas, there is no way to survive."
When he heard that taxes had been levied in Chongzhen for five years, Zuo Mengeng knew that the problems in rural areas had reached a point where there was no need to delay.
This is a powder keg that can explode at any time.
The peasant uprising in northern Shaanxi at the end of the Ming Dynasty was so powerful that many people thought that only the farmers in northern Shaanxi were rebelling.
In fact, during the entire Chongzhen period, the Ming Dynasty was full of wars.
From south to north, there is no place without chaos.
It's just that the chaos in other places did not have as big an impact as the peasant uprising in northern Shaanxi.
However, he is just a second-generation general with limited abilities. He understands the current situation and can't do much.
But the bankers in front of me...
Zuo Mengeng thought for a while and realized that the family originally planned to collect rent because Zuo Liangyu wanted to use the money. But now that Zuo Liangyu has been dismissed from office, there is no place to spend money.
In this case, there is no urgency.
"I've seen everyone's situation. In that case, I have the final say on this year's rent, so I'll waive it."
Although the words were spoken softly, they were like a nuclear bomb exploding, shocking everyone.
Lao Qin's head was trembling, fearing that it was just a dream.
"Master, the rent... the rent is really... really free?"
Zhang Yan stood up suddenly and couldn't believe it.
"Master...could he be tricking us?"
Zuo Rong was also anxious.
"Master, this matter needs to be discussed in the long term."
Rent-free is a big deal for any family. Zuo Rong couldn't help but worry when he saw that he had made a decision without consulting the government.
Zuo Mengeng ignored him and only looked at Zhang Yan.
"How about lying to you? What if I don't lie to you? Look at your appearance, is there anything else worth lying to?"
Zhang Yan was stunned, looked down at himself, and suddenly laughed.
"That's right, you're a pauper. You can't squeeze out even two ounces of oil even if you throw it into a frying pan. Are you still worried about being cheated?"
He turned around suddenly and yelled at the big guy: "Listen, the young master has shown mercy and waived our rent for this year."
The sound spread far away, and all the dealers near and far heard it. Even many farmers who had no clothes and were hiding in their houses opened their doors and exposed their heads.
"We will never forget the kindness of young master to survive. We can only repay him by being a cow and a horse."
Hundreds of farmers knelt on the ground, their voices of gratitude filled with surprise.
This scene made Zuo Rong and others dumbfounded.
Zuo Fu glanced secretly, wondering in his heart, is the young master trying to win people's hearts?
But what can happen to these mud-legged people who have bought their hearts and minds with their cheap lives?
In Zhuangzi, which is shrouded in death, rent-free is like a hurricane, bringing a whole new atmosphere to the place. Visible to the naked eye, most people's faces brightened.
Although they still have no food and clothing this winter, life is difficult. But without the burden of rent from the main family, the pressure was suddenly reduced by half.
