Zhang Mingwei looked normal as he walked among the refugees and asked them kindly about their recovery status. There are also those who sold their sons and daughters, whether their children have been sent back, etc.
As soon as he arrived, the refugees knelt down excitedly and called him "Lord Bodhisattva". While they were grateful, their eyes were full of worry.
Especially when they knew that the dignitaries in the capital were making trouble even in terms of donating money and materials. When they tried to embarrass Zhang Bodhisattva, they were afraid that a good official like Zhang Bodhisattva would not do anything after this. times?
Especially when the children who were sold were returned quickly, they knew that Zhang Bodhisattva must have offended the powerful people in the capital to death this time.
People's hearts are made of flesh. Zhang Mingwei's kindness towards the refugees is even more rare in this era and compared with most officials. The refugees' gratitude to Zhang Mingwei is of course very important. It comes naturally.
After Zhang Mingwei learned about the basic situation of the refugees outside the city, the next day, the fifth day of March in the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, he came again wearing the python suit given by Emperor Chongzhen and escorted by Zhou Yuji. refugee camp.
"Bodhisattva Zhang has something to say to us. Quickly, go to the stage. Don't let Bodhisattva wait for us!"
"Let's go. Thanks to Bodhisattva Zhang, I have eaten enough in the past two days to have the strength to walk. We can't keep Bodhisattva Zhang waiting any longer!"
"..."
There was no need for the soldiers to urge them here in the refugee camp. As soon as the refugees heard the announcement, they immediately urged each other and hurriedly rushed to the platform near the refugee camp.
The refugees who had arrived first were very surprised when they saw Zhang Mingwei wearing a python suit on the stage.
"Why is the Bodhisattva wearing a dragon robe? Is he the emperor in disguise?"
"Stupid, this is a python suit, not a dragon robe. Look at that dragon, it's missing a claw!"
"If you can't speak, don't talk nonsense, or you may harm the Bodhisattva! This python suit is a gift from the emperor, which means that the emperor values the Bodhisattva the most!"
"..."
There is no doubt that the initial focus of the refugees was on the python suit. This made them all understand that Zhang Mingwei was trusted by the emperor, and even the python suit had been given to him by the emperor, which made them feel very relieved.
On the platform, Zhang Mingwei saw that the refugees had quickly gathered near the platform, so he coughed, and then began to speak loudly, and the soldiers below spread his words far away so that everyone could You can all hear what he said.
"Fellow folks, I have tried my best to collect as much money and food as possible. I believe this is all the money and food the capital can provide..."
As soon as Zhang Mingwei opened his mouth, it was an issue they were very concerned about. Immediately, the refugees all listened with great concern. Of course they knew that Zhang Bodhisattva offended the powerful people in the capital for them. Not only did he not mention the assassination, he also donated all his family wealth. This was really all he could do!
"...Despite this, there will always be a day when the food is exhausted. And if other people in the capital come after hearing about the situation in the capital, it will inevitably accelerate the consumption of food, and everyone will have to Starved again…”
Zhang Mingwei's truth made the refugees worried about themselves. If that time comes and there is really no food in the capital, they will definitely starve to death!
But just as they were thinking about this, they heard Zhang Mingwei raise his voice again and said loudly: "But I absolutely cannot let this happen! I said that since I am here, Zhang Mingwei will not make you hungry again." One person will die and another will freeze to death. Now, I am working hard for it, but I still need your cooperation!"
What he did was obvious to all. The refugees who were originally grateful to him became excited when they heard what he said. For a moment, they even forgot that Zhang Bodhisattva was a high official of the imperial court and responded one after another.
"My lord, no matter what you order, as long as the common people can do it, they will die without mercy!"
"The Bodhisattva has done this for us. If we don't know how to be grateful and don't cooperate with the Bodhisattva, we will really be struck by thunder from heaven!"
"Yes, if it weren't for the Bodhisattva, the common people would have been ruined long ago. Just say what the Bodhisattva said!"
"..."
Zhang Mingwei stood on the stage and watched them talking nonsense. To be honest, many people spoke in Mandarin, and he really couldn't understand it. But he could tell from their expressions what they meant.
After waiting for a while, he stretched out his hand to signal, and the whole place suddenly fell silent.
Zhou Yuji on the side saw this and couldn't help but sigh in his heart. It seemed that Mr. Zhang had a very high prestige in the hearts of these refugees. In such a noisy situation, he just stretched out his hand and signaled, and it completely achieved the effect of the military order and prohibition!
At this time, I heard Zhang Mingwei continue: "The emperor and I have come up with a way to ensure that you get through this difficult period!"
After saying this, under the curious attention of the refugees, he took out an imperial edict, read it loudly, and then explained: "The emperor knows that north of the Yangtze River, there are not only natural disasters, but also man-made disasters. Especially It is the military and bandit rebellion that has become more and more fierce in recent years, and it is even more harmful to the local area. The emperor knows your difficulties, so he has made this decree to reduce and exempt half of the taxes of the people of Ming Dynasty north of the Yangtze River. Your burden will be greatly reduced in the future. !”
"As for the other half of the tax, it will be kept in the local area and used to prevent thieves and rebellion. In short, you can rest assured that if there is a rebellion by bandits or rebels, the emperor and I will work hard to quell the rebellion. There will be officers and soldiers like thieves. , will definitely be severely punished. Letting the Ming Dynasty return to a peaceful and prosperous age, I believe it is not only the wish of the emperor and me, but also what you hope for. To this end, we must all work together, okay?"
This decree was only passed by the cabinet before. Because of the sudden incident, the decree has not yet been announced. Therefore, Zhang Mingwei’s announcement was the first time the refugees heard it.
In the past, due to rebellions in various places, the court had been raising taxes, which was also known as the three rates. Therefore, the refugees did not expect that the imperial court would suddenly change its policy and reduce taxes by half to the people north of the Yangtze River. It must be said that this news was absolutely great news for them.
Therefore, when they heard Zhang Mingwei's question, they all agreed excitedly. Who doesn’t yearn for a peaceful and prosperous age?
After they got a little excited, Zhang Mingwei took out another imperial edict and read it in public. The content of this decree, which was one of the suggestions he made to Emperor Chongzhen, was that local chief officials had the right to use their power to requisition the property of everyone, including the vassal king and dignitaries, when the local area was in crisis.
However, there is actually something mysterious in this decree. The previous civil servants did not expect that it could be explained by Zhang Mingwei in another way.
