Beiping Prefecture, Dusi Yamen.
Ping An has been very angry lately. He can't eat well or sleep well. He walks around Dusi Yamen with a black eye every day.
Sheng Yong didn't like walking around, so every day when the city gate opened, he would move a small bench and sit at the city gate, staring ahead, hoping that the imperial emissary would arrive and know the news as soon as possible.
It is related to whether the new army's strategy can be implemented. How can Ping'an and Shengyong not be anxious?
The soldiers can wait for the court, but the crops in the fields will not wait for the court!
Although Ping An asked for a sum of money from Zhang Bing and entrusted various health offices to coordinate watering, and not to miss a single field, he breathed a sigh of relief.
But this tone can't last long!
Zhang Bing looked at Sheng Yong, who was carrying a small bench and returning home lonely, and then looked at Ping An, who was sitting under the tree without the appearance of a capital official, and sighed: "Building business in the fields is inherently risky, and there will be disputes in the court. , it will take at least half a month to determine the result. Taking into account the travel time, there will be no news until the end of March."
"I'm worried about the outcome!"
Ping An stood up and said solemnly.
Sheng Yong looked at the sunset and remained silent.
Although the commercial sale of farmland is the most feasible method at the moment, once it is implemented, the farmland system will disappear.
Without the support of farming, the guard system will collapse.
Once the guard station system collapses, it will inevitably harm the interests of the guard station officers. Can they let it go?
How should those soldiers deal with themselves?
Can the military status system be broken?
A series of problems, like ropes, trapped the court's hands and feet.
Sheng Yong could imagine that the court would not only disagree, but would even issue an order to punish himself, Ping An and Zhang Bing.
After all, such a move would destroy the foundation of the guard!
Zhang Bing sighed, and when he saw that the two pieces of wood were motionless, he didn't intend to stay for dinner, so he prepared to leave. But before they reached the door, they heard the sound of rapid horse hooves, accompanied by a high-pitched shout: "The imperial court has an urgent report from eight hundred miles away!"
Ping An and Sheng Yong jumped out as if they were electrocuted, taking three steps and two steps at a time, standing next to Zhang Bing, their eyes fixed on the court envoy.
The messenger is not an ordinary messenger, but a messenger from the Ming Security Bureau wearing a red robe!
"Zhang Bing, the chief envoy to Peking, commanded Shi Ping'an and Sheng Yong to receive the order!"
"I'll wait for the order!"
Zhang Bing, Ping An, and Sheng Yong knelt down quickly, and everyone in the Dusi Yamen also knelt down.
The post envoy unfolded the imperial edict and read out: "The emperor is entrusted by heaven to carry out the edict: the strategy of the new army is the foundation of a strong army and a strong country.
We must not slack off for a day... Take Beiping Prefecture as the first place to move forward, destroy the guard posts, trade and sell farmland, and respond to the sergeants according to their wishes and test their physical fitness. Households, craftsmen, etc., are sent to the place..."
"Inspect farmland sales and clarify the source of the land. All transactions must be registered and taxed according to the new merchants' policies... Those who have not sold the farmland and judged it to be poor and unsuitable for grains will return it to forests and marshes, and use the forests and marshes as their property. …”
Ping'an was so excited that the emperor not only allowed merchants to sell farmland, but also abolished Beiping Mansion and many surrounding guards with great courage!
This means that not only can he continue to implement the new army strategy, he can also select the elite among the guards and eliminate the weak!
As a soldier, don’t you just want all sergeants to be elite?
Zhang Bing took a deep breath, still unable to calm down the excitement in his heart.
agreed!
The emperor actually agreed!
Zhang Bing could not imagine how the emperor made a decision in a short period of time, but it was clear that the emperor gave him great trust and great honor!
If the business of selling and selling farmland proceeds smoothly, the guard system collapses, and the strategy of the new army proceeds unimpeded, then the names of myself, Ping An and others will be engraved in the history books!
"I will immediately summon all the gentry in Beiping Prefecture!"
After Zhang Bing received the order and said goodbye to the post envoy, he quickly said to Ping An and Sheng Yong.
Ping An solemnly said: "Please!"
Zhang Bing nodded solemnly. Since the court has given policies and permissions, he needs to do all this well!
The chief envoy's Yamen wanted to treat guests, and the gentry in Beiping Mansion could not escape, so they could only go there uneasily.
What surprised these people was that when Zhang Bing, the chief envoy, said he was treating guests, he really meant treating guests.
The banquet was full of wine, and although it could not be called extravagant, it was also delicious food.
Seeing that the visitors had almost arrived, Zhang Bing stood up, cleared his throat, and said: "This banquet is worth two hundred taels. This chief envoy cannot afford this money, so you are leaving the banquet." Before that, I had to leave some money."
The group of gentry was suddenly dumbfounded and looked at each other.
What's the meaning?
You sent the invitation, you arranged the banquet, and yet you ask us to pay for the meal before we start eating?
I have never seen such a shameless Chief Minister!
"Oh, Lord Chief Envoy, our Liang family has lost five thousand taels of silver in response to the imperial government's national policy. Now we don't have much money left. If you don't want to cancel the banquet, if you have anything to say, just say it."
Liang Jun, who is more than sixty years old, is a member of the Beiping Mansion.
There are as many as twelve famous wealthy gentry in Beiping Prefecture alone.
When the business grows, it is natural to buy land. Although the land deed is signed, the price above the land deed is really too low. An acre of land is less than one tael of silver.
Normally this would be a huge gain, but under the national policy of curbing annexation, this would cost lives.
Zhang Bing saw the fishiness in it at a glance, and sent someone to check it out. He found that the land he bought was high-quality fertile land. The deed for one acre of land should be worth eight taels to twenty taels of silver. Again, it would not be less than five taels. .
But there was less than one tael per acre, which was clearly a plunder and wanton embezzlement!
Under the national policy, the Liang family had to spit out a large amount of land and lost more than 5,000 taels of silver. It can be said that it was a heavy loss.
"Mr. Liang is right, if we don't know whether this meal is good or not, we won't eat it!"
Wu Hui, a wealthy gentleman who also had his flesh cut off, shouted in dissatisfaction.
The others started making a fuss and tried to leave immediately.
Zhang Bing had a smile on his lips, looked at everyone, fixed his eyes on Liang Jun, and said calmly: "The implementation of national policies will be carried out correctly in all Ming lands. If you all hold grudges against me, I, Zhang Bing, have nothing to say."
"Which of you wants to leave, you can leave now. Just walk out of this door, farm business, and the benefits of low taxes will no longer be with you. If you want to leave, please do so!"
Liang Jun and other gentry were stunned.
Wu Hui looked at Zhang Bing in disbelief and asked carefully: "Mr. Zhang, what did you just say? The benefits of low taxes for farming business?"
Zhang Bing smiled lightly and started drinking by himself.
Wu Hui looked at Liang Juan, and Liang Juan looked at Wu Hui. Others also started to talk about it, and there was a buzz.
Liang Jun waved his hands and everyone fell silent. Liang Jun looked at Zhang Bing and asked solemnly: "Aren't you looking for fun with us? Are the farms for sale? The farms are the land of the soldiers of the Guard, how can they be sold for business?"
Zhang Bing picked out a fish bone, took a bite, chewed and swallowed, and then said slowly: "Why, no one is leaving? If no one is leaving, you will have to pay for the meal."
"I'm out of two hundred taels! Sir, please make it clear!"
Wu Hui shouted impatiently.
Zhang Bing smiled with satisfaction, showed his white teeth, put a glass of wine into his stomach, and said: "Zhang knows very well that although the implementation of national policies benefits all the people, it will harm the gentry. The gentry and all the people are all our subjects of the Ming Dynasty. They should be Treat him kindly. However, the national policy is based on the long term and is the foundation of the Ming Dynasty. It must be..."
Zhang Bing's words made these gentry who had shed blood couldn't help crying, and secretly sighed, "Zheng Buzheng, he is a good man..."
