Chapter 318: Hedging Your Bets
For Tan Lun, who was released to Nanjing, he was excited all the way, but before arriving in Nanjing, he felt depressed.
He thought that being imprisoned in Su Ze's hands would definitely force him to become an official and turn against the traitors. Tan Lun had already thought about how to commit suicide and die for his country.
But things took an unexpected turn, and Su Ze suddenly announced that officials from Fujian, Zhejiang, Susong and Fujian were free to return to Nanjing.
Tan Lun immediately picked up his family from Hangzhou, and then took a boat from Hangzhou to Nanjing immediately.
Tan Lun is now forty-two years old, which is when an official is in the prime of life. He is not idle on the ship and writes to the Ming court day and night about countermeasures.
"Seven Strategies to Defeat Thieves", Tan Lun looked at the title and the dense memorials, but suddenly sighed and put down the pen.
This time when officials from Zhejiang and Fujian returned to the north, they and their families were free to choose to stay, and their servants were also free to choose to stay.
In Fujian and Zhejiang, most governor-general offices do not recognize resident registration or long-term tenant farming contracts lasting more than ten years.
Su Ze took the lead and burned the residence contracts with Yao Chun and other servants. The existence of such domestic slaves was prohibited in Fujian and Zhejiang.
Tan Lun actually treated the servants at home quite well, but after this order was issued, the housekeeper and book boy at home chose to stay in Fujian and Zhejiang, unwilling to continue to be slaves to Tan Lun.
This is basically the case in the homes of other officials.
Tan Lun's son Tan Sidao could only become Tan Lun's book boy, studying his ink for him.
Tan Sidao suddenly said: "Father, we are going to Nanjing in one day. Why don't you look happy?"
Tan Lun sighed and said, "During the whole journey, my father was thinking about how the court would deal with the Soviet thieves, but Yue Yue The more I think about it, the more I feel that Su Ze is different from other rebels. The court is in trouble!" "
Take these abolition slaves as an example. If they were on the Ming side, they would not leave even if their father asked them to leave."
" Regardless of the children in the family, why do the tenants who work for our Tan family become slaves? It’s not that they look down upon themselves, but that the court’s taxes are too high and the corvee is too heavy.” “Being a yeoman farmer requires you to pay taxes
. They are exploited by subordinate officials and yamen, and they often have to do long-term hard labor. When fighting, they will be captured as young men, so they would rather join our Tan family as slaves." "But the "Three Principles for Complaining to the People" promulgated by Su Ze is as good as clever
. Here, he only emphasized the decree of Lord Hong Wu, abolishing the miscellaneous donations that had been added in the past, and prohibiting the use of civilian services without compensation. Because of this, the people felt that he was a great benefactor and were unwilling to follow us back to Nanjing. ."
The more he thought about it, the more Tan Lun felt that Su Ze was not an ordinary "rebel."
He has been fighting in the southeast for many years and has fought against Japanese pirates. Needless to say, Japanese pirates are basically pirates and bandits. Their goal in fighting is to rob, and they also attack cities for the purpose of robbery. They have no idea of separatist rule.
Tan Lun also fought against the Feilong Army. To be honest, he still didn't pay attention to these peasant armies. The Ming Dynasty's uprisings were not once or twice. No matter how powerful these mud-legged people were, no one could manage the territory they conquered. , started internal strife before even gaining much territory, and would eventually be wiped out by the imperial court.
But Su Ze is completely different.
He made a three-part agreement with the people, appointed local officials, and trained military officers. This was not the forced rebellion that Su Ze preached. His rebellion had been planned for a long time!
Training troops, giving lectures, writing books, and raising hopes. In the past few years, Su Ze has accumulated a great reputation in Fujian, Zhejiang, and South Zhili. He ran newspapers, opened academies, and practiced regiments, and accumulated strength in the southeast. Only then could he conquer Fujian and Zhejiang with one army. and Su Song Erfu.
The more he thought about it, the more terrifying Tan Lun felt about Su Ze.
From Daming's perspective, Tan Lun also felt a little desperate.
Do you want the imperial court to follow Su Ze's example in abolishing exorbitant taxes and prohibiting local officials from imposing corvee services at will?
Impossible. Tan Lun had been a local official and he knew the intricacies of the local area. Even if a local chief official wanted to do this, who would be willing to do it, including the subordinate officials below and the superiors and colleagues above?
Tan Lun knew that this was impossible, so he still wrote this item in his "Seven Strategies for Combating Thieves". Anyway, he saved his life. These seven strategies were also his heartfelt words after observing in Zhejiang.
Tan Lun worked hard to finish writing the last plan, handed it to his son and said,
"Read it carefully and see if there is anything that doesn't make sense."
Tan Sidao took the memorial and began to read:
"The guilty minister Fu Wei is writing this to your majesty. Tan Jin, the governor of Zhejiang, used seven strategies to pacify Su: "
The first strategy is to lighten the tax and abolish the heavy tax." "The second
strategy is to train the new army and clear out the pay." "The third strategy is to promote industry and
commerce and open sea trade." "The fourth strategy is to promote industry and commerce and open sea trade.
" Clean up the administration of officials and fight against corruption."
"The fifth policy is to make justice clear and clear the accumulated prisons." "
The sixth policy is to calm the snow and worship loyal ministers."
"Seven policies, father?"
"Read it."
"The seventh policy is to consolidate the foundation of the country. Appointed Crown Prince."
Because Tan Sidao is Tan Lun's only son, he has not yet served as an official, but he is already twenty years old and has outstanding literary talent among the officials' children. More importantly, he is very talented in politics.
Tan Sidao said, "Father, that's all for the first six strategies. If I offer this seventh strategy, my father will definitely be jealous of the court." Tan Lun smiled bitterly and
said, "Do you know where the first six strategies come from? Being a father is just a matter of I just tell you again what Su Rulin did in Zhejiang and Fujian."
Tan Sidao remained silent.
Tan Lun said: "Only the seventh policy is the one that my father sincerely wants to advise the court. If the country's foundation is uncertain, the court will continue to fight among parties. The worst thing about Zhejiang's affairs is party fights!" Tan Sidao became even more silent. He knew that
he My father was the knife that Qingliu thrust into Zhejiang. Hu Zongxian was imprisoned, and he could also be the trigger for the rebellion in Zhejiang. Its root was also party strife.
When they were about to arrive at the water station on the edge of Nanjing, Tan Lun suddenly said to his son:
"Take your mother and go back to Hangzhou."
"What?"
Tan Lun said, "You mother and son have settled down in Hangzhou first. The court is not here now." The reason for the discord is that there is no preparation for the nine-sided army to go south. After next spring and summer, the imperial court and Su Ze will have a battle." "If the imperial court is
defeated, if my son wants to serve Su Ze, then go ahead."
In fact, Su Ze will go to war." When Tan Sidao was in Hangzhou, he also admired Su Ze quite a lot and highly praised Su Ze's "New Deal".
"Father!"
"Protect your mother."
After sighing twice, both father and son were speechless.
Tan Lun landed ashore, holding the memorial in his arms, saying goodbye to his wife and son on the ship, and then headed for Nanjing with other officials.
Nanjing has already known about the release of officials from Zhejiang.
When the boats of these officials docked at the water station, the station staff had already informed the city.
However, the response from all over Nanjing was very dull, and there were not even officials standing outside the city to greet them.
The reason is naturally very simple. Among the officials released by Su Ze this time, there are many with strong qualifications and backgrounds. They are all officials. If they are still appointed after returning, wouldn't they seize the positions of other officials in Nanjing?
Among them, the most troubled one is Zhao Zhenji.
He and Tan Lun were both disciples of Xin Xue. Tan Lun was from Youjiang, Jiangxi and a disciple of Xu Jie. Logically speaking, Zhao Zhenji and Tan Lun had a good personal relationship and should go out of the city to greet them. But the current situation in Nanjing is that Zhang Juzheng coordinates the military affairs of Southern Zhili, but the imperial court did not grant him the position of governor of Southern Zhili.
Therefore, Zhang Juzheng does not manage the civil affairs of Southern Zhili.
Logically speaking, Southern Zhili does not have three departments: Chief Envoy, Dusi, and Inspector's Department, but it will also set up a governor of Southern Zhili to take charge of the civil affairs of Southern Zhili.
However, the previous civil affairs of South Zhili were in the hands of Hu Zongxian, the governor of South Zhili, Zhejiang, and there was no governor in South Zhili.
Therefore, the civil affairs of Southern Zhili now fall on Zhao Zhenji, the Minister of Household Affairs in Nanjing.
Tan Lun was previously the governor of Zhejiang, and he was also a disciple of Xu Jie. If he returned to Southern Zhili and was re-employed by the court, he would most likely be the governor of Southern Zhili.
Then the powers of Zhao Zhenji, the Minister of Household Affairs in Nanjing, will be greatly reduced. This is undoubtedly a huge obstacle for Zhao Zhenji, who has always wanted to join the cabinet.
Zhang Juzheng went to inspect the defense of Yangzhou, but Zhao Zhenji did not go to greet him, and other officials were naturally unwilling to go, so Tan Lun saw the empty city gate.
Tan Lun's heart skipped a beat. He had indeed made the right decision in letting his wife and son return to Zhejiang. As expected, many officials who returned from Zhejiang were panicked when they saw such a scene.
In Zhejiang, he would rather die than surrender to maintain the integrity of the imperial court, give up the official position promised by Su Ze, and rush back to Nanjing city after a long journey.
But now there is not even a welcoming scene, and the behavior of Nanjing Sixth Department is chilling.
The former Hangzhou magistrate Gao Hanwen found Tan Lun and asked quickly: "Master Futai, what should we do?"
Tan Lun was also anxious, but he had the highest rank among the officials present, so naturally his every move was watched.
"It's okay, let's talk about it after we enter the city."
After Tan Lun took the lead towards the gate of Nanjing, Gao Hanwen also sighed heavily, and then ordered his family members to follow.
Some astute officials let their wives and children leave quietly.
There were also a few people who simply turned around and left, not even entering the city of Nanjing.
Tan Lun and the others also wore official robes, but there was no cliché plot of being humiliated by petty officials when they entered the city.
Tan Lun immediately came to Nanjing's Ministry of Finance with his memorial.
The gatekeeper was an old slave from Zhao Zhenji's family, and he also knew Tan Lun, but he said with a smile: "
Master Tan, I have gone out of the city to attend to matters, and I am not at home today."
Tan Lun did not get angry, and he looked out of his sleeves. He took out the memorial and said:
"Please pass this memorial to Mr. Zhao, and ask Mr. Zhao to help me send this memorial to the capital." "The
guilty minister will not continue to disturb Mr. Zhao. I will stay in Nanjing behind closed doors. Sin."
After Tan Lun said this, he left Zhao Zhenji's mansion without looking back. Looking at the tall lintel in front of Zhao Zhenji's house, Tan Lun suddenly had a thought:
The Ming Dynasty is probably going to die, right?
Knowing that neither Zhao Zhenji nor the Nanjing officials wanted to see him, Tan Lun was open-minded. He took out his money to rent a house in Nanjing and lived there.
Although Su Ze was tolerant of these outgoing officials, he was only tolerant of those who had a good official reputation and did not exploit or bully the people.
Before leaving office, Su Ze sent officials to conduct "auditing" of these officials and verify the outgoing account books.
The filial piety money that does not comply with the laws of the Ming Dynasty and the various unspoken government "dividends" must be spit out before leaving.
The former chief envoy of Zhejiang Province, Zheng Michang, was exposed by his subordinates and wanted to occupy people's fields while converting rice to mulberry. He also collaborated with powerful families to force to death many people who were unwilling to convert rice to mulberry.
When nine counties in Zhejiang suffered from floods, an order was issued not allowing disaster relief by states and counties.
The governor's office immediately arrested Zheng Michang and imprisoned him, awaiting trial and conviction.
Tan Lun already has a rich family fortune, but he himself does not like money, so he has a good reputation in Zhejiang.
Tan Lun left Zhejiang with his family property only after clearing out some Bingjing Tanjing and Huohua Yinzi that were present in all levels of yamen.
In contrast, Gao Hanwen, who was originally a poor Hanlin official, was not so lucky.
Hanlin was a poor man, and he finally came to serve as a magistrate, but Gao Hanwen was still corrupted.
He accepted the rich clothes and clothes given by the weaving merchants in Hangzhou, and also accepted the money given by his subordinates. However, he was timid and did not do anything harmful to the people with Zheng Michang.
So in the end, Gao Hanwen returned his dirty money and left Hangzhou penniless.
Knowing Gao Hanwen's situation, Tan Lun directly invited him to live with him.
Housing prices in Nanjing are also very high. Although Gao Hanwen still has a certain sense of pride, he can't bear the lack of money in his pocket, so he finally moves there to share with Tan Lun.
Fujian.
Su Ze was taking Uncle Lin Qishu to inspect the sweet potatoes in the mountain field.
After several years of promotion, sweet potatoes have been widely cultivated by the government in Fujian, but before, gentry landlords quietly planted them in the mountains.
Su Ze reiterated the three-year tax exemption for land reclamation and demanded that the land be cleared. Large local households reported these sweet potato fields to the government for registration.
However, another decree from Su Ze made these big households happy again.
Sweet potatoes can also be turned over to the government as grain, but the standards for turning over sweet potatoes are different from those of wheat and rice. The weight required to be paid is more, and the dried sweet potatoes also need to be handed over.
But it's already very good. Sweet potatoes don't have high requirements on soil fertility. They can be grown in the mountains and the yield is high. Even according to the government's calculations, it can save a lot of food.
Not only large households, but also some common people who have spare capacity have also begun to try to grow sweet potatoes in the mountains.
After walking for a while, Su Ze saw a corn field. He asked Uncle Lin Qi next to him: "Uncle Qi, is this a corn field?"
Lin Qishu nodded and said, "This is the last time Lin Baihu came from Macau. I planted several acres of corn seeds over there."
Su Ze walked over, and the corn was different from the corn he saw before traveling through time.
The corn seedlings were very short, and the corn cobs they produced were also very small. There were hollow corn kernels on the corn cobs, giving them a stunted appearance.
Su Ze was a little disappointed, but Uncle Lin Qishu was optimistic: "This corn is good. It has no pests and is easy to take care of. Although the yield is not high now, after a few rounds of breeding, it will definitely become the same staple food as sweet potatoes." That's right, a new species
. When it is first introduced, there is often a period of pest protection for several to more than ten years. The local pests have not yet begun to eat this crop, and the original natural enemies are still in South America.
As long as we breed well, the quality of corn will definitely improve.
Uncle Lin Qi broke open the corn and said: "Although corn is not delicious, it is good for feeding pigs and chickens and ducks. Nowadays, many people in Yanping Prefecture and surrounding counties specialize in raising poultry and livestock."
Su Su Ze soon saw another strange field. This was a tall plant with large leaves. The leaves were now turning yellow, which gave Su Ze an inexplicable feeling of familiarity.
"Uncle Seventh, what is this?"
"I'm not sure what kind of crop this is. Last time, this kind of thing was grown in the seeds given by Baihu. Later, I saw that it was similar to the tobacco that the governor said, so I kept the seeds. I've picked up some."
"Now it looks like it's the tobacco that the governor mentioned. It looks like it will be harvested soon." It
hurts. It hurts too much to remove the wisdom teeth. I wrote this while taking painkillers.
Keep updating, keep updating resolutely, and update as usual in the evening!
(End of chapter)