“Since they don’t want to open for business, then don’t open for business in the future!”
A cold and stern look flashed in Yuan Keli's eyes, and then he said: "I suggest that we take five steps at the same time. First, support the stores that are still open, and let the imperial court give them a platform.
Send people to protect them from being threatened by the alliance of evil gentry and rich merchants.
Second, mobilize the materials reserved by the imperial court to these stores to ensure sufficient supply of goods, mainly oil, salt, tea, and study rooms. Others are temporarily dispensable.
Third, each county comes forward and affixes government seals to the closed shops. If you don’t want to open, then close them!
Fourth, aren’t they concealing and under-reporting cultivated land and evading taxes? They find a few key points, pull them out and chop them up. If they think we don’t dare to kill, then let’s kill them for them to see.
If ten don't work, kill twenty. If twenty don't work, kill a hundred. Kill them until they are afraid.
Fifth, the people we arranged in advance can start to spread some news. Why are these stores closed? Where does the land come from?
Guide the people to direct their conflicts against the gentry and wealthy businessmen, and try to see if the sword of public opinion works! "
"Go and do it! Be quick!"
“I’ll go right now, and we’ll have the results at noon tomorrow!”
Looking at Yuan Keli leaving, Chongzhen shook his head gently and continued drinking tea. These things were expected.
After killing this group, it is estimated that the two governments will stop, and the matter in Shaanxi can be concluded.
Those gentry and wealthy businessmen could have been put to death directly for concealing and underreporting their cultivated land and evading taxes. Why not put them to death directly?
Because he is too determined, it is easy for other gentry and wealthy businessmen to be in danger.
It doesn't matter if it's just Xi'an and Fengxiang, but returning the land to the people will be extended to the entire Shaanxi, the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty.
The gentry and wealthy merchants are a huge group. If all the gentry and wealthy merchants in Xi'an and Fengxiang Prefecture are executed as soon as they come up, other gentry and wealthy merchants will feel that there is no way out.
Instead of sitting back and waiting for death, it is better to take the initiative and unite to take action.
It's different now. Their inciting people to create conflicts, create rumors, close stores and create panic can almost be regarded as treason.
The wise does not buy rumours?
Wrong, the rumors stop at torture!
The law of the Ming Dynasty is clearly written: If the traitor does not answer the crime, there will be many false accusations against the good people in the world. From now on, anyone who accuses those who falsely accuse of treason will be punished.
Anyone who falsely accuses three or four people will be punished with a hundred sticks and three years in prison... Anyone... will be executed in Lingchi, his head will be sent to his hometown, and his family will be moved away.
This shows that the punishment for spreading rumors is serious.
To execute typical gentry and wealthy businessmen for these crimes is to tell other gentry and wealthy businessmen.
You see, the court originally didn't want to go into details, but in the end, it insisted on causing trouble. The court had no choice but to act together and use the people's anger!
To put it harshly, the imperial court was both responsible and established.
But having said that, if you don’t cause trouble, the court won’t be able to find fault with you, right?
Two-quarters of an hour after Yuan Keli left, more than two thousand riders set off from Xi'an City and headed straight for the counties under the two prefectures.
Several more sergeants rushed six hundred miles to Ma Xianglin's Chinese army tent with Yuan Keli's order, and more than a thousand sergeants also set off.
In the Qian family's mansion in Shangnan County, Shangzhou, Xi'an Prefecture, more than a hundred soldiers rushed directly into the mansion. In just a moment, they took the head of the Qian family out, put him in a prison car and put him at the entrance of the vegetable market.
"After verification by the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ming Dynasty Land and Resources Administration, the Qian family in Shangnan County successively occupied 163 hectares of cultivated land from the 46th year of Wanli to the first year of Chongzhen, concealed 77 hectares of land, and evaded taxes...
According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, he will be beheaded and his family property will be confiscated! The sentence will be sentenced in three days. If the family members are dissatisfied, they can report it to the county magistrate within three days! "
After the leading sergeant finished speaking, he posted two more notices, stating how many acres of farmland had been occupied by someone in a certain month of a certain year...
This was the most direct evidence of the crime, and the killing convinced the common people, gentry, and wealthy businessmen.
The Li family's residence in Fufeng County, Fengxiang Prefecture, was also stormed by more than a hundred soldiers, who put the family owner into a prison car and dumped it at the entrance of the vegetable market.
"After verification by Jin Yiwei, Li Guangjin, the head of the Li family, was dissatisfied with the imperial court's strategy of returning land to the people. For his own benefit, he deceived the people and intended to provoke the common people to confront the imperial court, which had a bad influence...
According to the law of the Ming Dynasty, one hundred rods and ten years of imprisonment will be executed in three days. Within three days, the family members can go to the local magistrate to lodge a complaint! "
…
Nearly a hundred gentry and wealthy businessmen from two prefectures, seven states and thirty-eight counties were arrested on various charges.
Most of them were chopped down directly after three days, and half were beaten with sticks, at least eighty sticks, and they were all probably destined to die.
The people were only briefly stunned by the sudden change, and then began to cheer.
"This group of people are really looking for death. The court didn't even bother to investigate them further. As a result, they closed their shops and raised prices to threaten the court. Do you really think the court wouldn't dare to kill them?"
"Hey, even if you die, if their homes are confiscated, many people will be able to buy land."
“What does the looting of their homes have to do with our purchase of land?”
"Don't you understand now? The land we bought was for the raids on Prince Qin's palace and the confiscation of wealthy gentry and merchants, and then sold it to us. Now that these people have been raided, isn't it the same?"
"Fuck, so the imperial court is making a net profit from this business without capital?"
"Are you stupid? If the imperial court confiscates it, then it belongs to the imperial court. The imperial court can rent it to us instead of selling it, and we will receive 10% of the rent a year. Are you willing?"
"What does it mean that the whole world is not the king's soil? This is a good explanation. Don't be greedy. This is the best result now."
…
Three days passed in a flash, and this day happened to be the day when the cultivated land in Xi'an and Fengxiang were sold out and registered.
Executions were carried out at Caishikou in various counties.
Those who were beheaded directly died more happily, while those who were beheaded with eighty sticks or one hundred military sticks cried and screamed at first, but in the end they only had occasional twitches, and in the end they were completely lifeless.
The executioners were all sergeants from Tengxiang's Four Guards and the Expeditionary Army. They would have no chance of survival if they used thirty sticks, let alone eighty sticks.
At the same moment, the people beat gongs and drums to celebrate and cheer.
I don’t know whether they were cheering for the imperial court to get rid of the evil gentry and wealthy businessmen, or celebrating their own land, or both, but everyone had a smile on their face.
"Hey, what about those who didn't buy the land? Will they be robbed? Will they cause trouble?"
"I don't care. Anyway, the land deed is in my hand and has been signed and pledged in several yamen. What's mine is mine. No one can take it away. I will fight with anyone who wants to rob it!"
"No, the court won't take it back. I'm worried that if we see our crops are harvested well in the future and set fire to them at night or directly destroy them, we... ugh, I'm so worried."
"You deserve it if you don't buy it. The court has made it so clear, but they are hesitant. Now they are going to cause trouble if they can't buy it? You're not looking for death like this, are you?"
"That's right, why should they take advantage of all the good things? If you let them try to cause trouble, they can kill these gentry and wealthy businessmen. What do ordinary people have to worry about if they kill a few?"
…
The crowd of onlookers began to make up their minds. Some people in the crowd who had not bought the land, listened to the discussion of the people who had bought the land, their faces turned blue and red, and they dared not speak out in anger.
His mouth was full of bitterness, and his eyes were full of regret and unwillingness.
In the Carrying Hall of Prince Qin's Mansion, Yuan Keli held the summarized data with a smile on his lips. He now strongly agrees with the statement that it is better to make money faster by confiscating homes!
