The eldest grandson of Emperor Ming Dynasty!

Chapter 444 Zhu Ying's Crooked Means
Three days later, Zhenhaiwei Central Assembly Hall.

Zhu Yinggao sat on the head, and below that was Chai Bai, the commander of Zhenhai Weidu, and all the thousands of households, kneeling on the ground.

Picking up the teacup, Zhu Ying blew lightly, and then tasted it.

"This tea is not bad, where did it come from?" Zhu Ying asked casually.

Chai Bai below breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the words. After kneeling for a quarter of an hour, His Royal Highness Taisun finally spoke.

Without even thinking about it, he replied: "His Royal Highness, this tea is West Lake Longjing tea, which is produced from eighteen tea trees in front of the Hugong Temple at the foot of Shifeng Mountain. The new leaves produced this year are definitely of the highest quality."

"All the teas in Hangzhou County are comparable to the production of Longjing. This is the fine bud before the rain. If you take one flag and one gun, it is especially rare. The production is not much, so it should be expensive."

When it comes to the latter, Chai Bai still shows off in the words of Wen Jue.

Zhu Ying laughed softly: "It seems that Commander Chai is not only experienced in marching and fighting, but also very fond of arty."

"Uncle Zhang, how many treasure bills are sold in the market for this new sprout before the rain?"

Zhang Bo bowed and replied: "His Royal Highness, ordinary Longjing tea is not expensive, but just now Commander Chai Du said that it is produced from eighteen tea trees in front of the Hugong Temple at the foot of Shifeng Mountain."

"It's the most expensive place in the entire West Lake Longjing. According to the current market price, one or two teas from this place of origin cost 88 guan notes, and there is no market for the price."

As soon as these words came out, Chai Bai below was immediately sweating profusely.

Knowing that I just fell on this tea, I regretted it in my heart at this moment.

Originally thinking that His Royal Highness Taisun would come over, of course he would entertain him with the best things to show his loyalty.

Normally, no one would ask these prices when drinking tea, so Chai Bai didn't think much about it at the time.

When Zhang Bo was speaking, he suddenly remembered.

His Royal Highness is not only His Royal Highness, but also the owner of Qunying Chamber of Commerce. He knows almost everything about the market conditions of various goods.

Isn't this a trap for myself to drill in?

The thousands of households behind also began to tremble.

If something goes wrong with the commander, which of these thousands of households will be able to survive.

I'm afraid it wasn't just like this being taken away by a pot.

Just when everyone was panicking, Zhu Ying said, "Okay, I've been kneeling for a long time, get up and sit down."

When everyone heard the words, they couldn't believe it, and no one spoke for a long time.

In the end, it was Chai Bai who said tremblingly, "I dare not."

Zhu Yingdao: "Why don't you dare, you can do all the things like the Cao Gang, and you can earn a lot of money every year."

"You're so courageous, I don't dare to ask you to sit and talk."

puff.

Only two thousand households had the courage to get up, and His Royal Highness knelt down again as soon as His Royal Highness said these words.

Not to mention Chai Bai, on the ground in front of him, sweat dripped like water droplets, as if he had just taken a bath.

"Don't be so nervous, according to what you said, aren't you the direct descendants of this palace?"

"Since it is the direct descendant of the palace, then there is nothing to be afraid of."

Zhu Ying said with a smile.

But what he said made everyone feel cold.

They only said these words in the council hall, but now His Royal Highness Taisun has said these words.

Terrible.

Could it be that there is an inner ghost among the crowd?
"Okay, let's sit down and talk about the Cao Gang, and tell Bengong Haosheng the ins and outs of this."

Zhu Ying waved her hand and said directly.

After several rounds of conversations, the psychological defense of Chai Bai and the others had completely collapsed at this moment, so they could only tell the truth.

The Cao Gang was established on the basis of water transportation. Zhu Ying was also very curious, how the Cao Gang, which only appeared during the Manchu Qing Dynasty, has appeared now.

After Chai Bai and others narrated, it turned out that the source still appeared in himself.

Originally speaking, the difference between Zhenhaiwei and other guards is not too big. Commanders like Chai Bai are at most trying to make money.

The butterfly flapped its wings, allowing Zhenhaiwei to taste the sweetness of smuggling snowflake salt, and only then did the Cao Gang be established.

"On the side of the Cao Gang, most of them are elderly or injured brothers from the guard."

"On weekdays, there is not much work in the guard, so I arranged to go down to manage the Cao Gang, and also train the newcomers along the way."

"Now the Cao Gang has more than 400 brothers and several thousand members."

After Chai Bai finished explaining, he cautiously raised his head slightly, and from the corner of his eyes saw His Highness Taisun was contemplating, feeling a little complicated in his heart.

It's all come to this point, Chai Bai seems much calmer now, if he really wants to lose his head, there is no room for recovery.

"According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, in such a situation as yours, let alone execution, it is not too much to say that it is Ling Chi, and the car is cracked."

"Corruption is clearly prohibited in the law, but you are taking risks and using your power to do illegal things."

"But speaking of it, all of you here have made a lot of contributions to Daming. Anyway, this palace will give you a chance to make meritorious deeds."

After thinking for a while, Zhu Ying spoke.

For the soldiers, especially the group of soldiers who founded the Ming Dynasty, some things can only be done in a peaceful way.

Even if it is the old man, it is estimated that it can only be like this.

In the final analysis, the old Zhu's family was ruled by these soldiers.

As the saying goes, if the water is clear, there will be no fish.

If we really want to execute all the thousands of households, including Chai Bai, in accordance with the laws of Ming Dynasty, it will easily chill the hearts of other soldiers.

Even the common people, including those oppressed businessmen, would not say anything to applaud, but to be sad when the rabbit died.

It sounds a little nonsense, but this is the real world today.

Especially for businessmen, it seems that they are oppressed by the Cao Gang, but in fact, a relatively stable order has been established secretly, although this order is not protected by the laws of Ming Dynasty on the surface.

Strictly investigating, it is an illegal act, but if there is no Cao Gang, the interests of the merchants will be more vulnerable to exploitation.

In the past, when merchants were selling goods, officials of all sizes needed to manage them. If they encountered some greedy ones, they would be completely open-mouthed.

Not to mention losing money, sometimes people lose money.

Although Zhenhaiwei is an established Cao Gang, they are from the army and they pay more attention to order. In many respects, they are directly marked with a price.

Once the money is paid enough, there is no need to pay other fees for the matter on this road, so as to ensure a safe journey.

It should also create a relatively fair business environment.

In fact, during the Qing Dynasty, this behavior of the Cao Gang was finally recognized by the government and gained legal status.

When this interest is unearthed, even if Zhu Ying orders the forcible disbandment of the Cao Gang, there will still be large and small Cao Gangs in the future.

In the case of the early Ming Dynasty, the three religions and nine streams all had their own living space, and even the government couldn't just get rid of it if they wanted to.

Now that the Cao Gang has taken shape, it is better to control it in one's own hands.

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, thank you for your kindness! I immediately ordered people to disband the Cao Gang completely."

I thought that there was no way out, but I didn't expect that there would be another village.

At this moment, Chai Bai's heart is like a roller coaster. With the word "deserving crime and making meritorious service", not only his life is saved, but even the position of commander may not be saved.

Zhu Ying waved her hand: "No, not only do you not want to disband the Cao Gang, but you want to make the Cao Gang even bigger."

Chai Bai was a little confused, and didn't quite understand the meaning of His Highness Taisun's words.

Including the other thousand households, they also stared wide-eyed and dazed.

Zhu Ying didn't bother to play charades, and said directly; "From now on, the rules of the Cao Gang must be revised and re-established according to the intention of the palace."

"Not only your Zhenhai Guard, but the guards up and down the Yangtze River can slowly absorb those retired and wounded sergeants."

"However, this account has to be re-divided, including the tolls collected, which must also be reasonable, neither more nor less."

"Now you are doing very well. Since you have received the money, you have to deal with it. From now on, the accounting issues of the Cao Gang will be handed over to the Qunying Chamber of Commerce."

"Comprehensive interests, divided into seven and three, Ben Gong seven, Cao Gang three, what's the problem?"

Chai Bai suddenly shook his head like a rattle, how could he have any other opinions.

Zhu Ying said with a smile: "Actually, what you said is correct, you are indeed the direct line of the palace, but from now on, you can no longer do things under the name of the palace."

"What I said just now, I don't mean to give you half of the decree. The money is not meant to be sent to me, but you and the Qunying Chamber of Commerce. Can you understand?"

Chai Bai kowtowed, "I understand."

Zhu Ying nodded: "If you have committed any crime, don't expect me to come forward to solve it for you. If you break the rules, you will be punished as you want."

"Not only on shipping, but also on chambers of commerce, various aristocratic families, and government officials. You also need to collect information. In these areas, I will ask Jin Yiwei to come over and connect with you."

Speaking of this, Zhu Ying's train of thought has become clear.

In fact, to put it simply, it is equivalent to turning the Cao Gang into an underground intelligence organization.

As for other aspects, they used the name of the guard to suppress officials from all over the place.

It has to be said that in the current situation where the imperial power does not go to the countryside, the role of the Cao Gang is much more reliable than that of officials.

And act without any scruples.

This kind of thing, the government is a human being, it is impossible to handle it, the national conditions are such, although there are some hidden dangers, but at present, it can only be done as a last resort.

The entanglement here, if I talk too much, it involves the limitations of the imperial power itself.

The power of the emperor itself is not reflected in the people, but in the landlords who are also the ruling class.

The most fundamental reason why Zhu Yuanzhang was able to make arbitrary decisions about the world, even if he was a minister in the court, was to kill as he said, because he united the majority of the landlord class in Ming Dynasty and won their support.

Even if they are officials, such as county magistrates and magistrates, they are representatives of the landlord class, and often the first thing these officials do when they take office is to establish a good relationship with the local landlords.

If the relationship becomes stagnant, or if it goes too far, and the landlords start a quarrel, simply put, it will make people's livelihood difficult, and some policies will not be able to pass at all.

Of course, the landlord class is a general term, and the landlords in each place have their own ideas and contradictions.

There is no such thing as a one-shot kill.

Including between villages and villages, there will also be fighting over water grabbing, let alone between landlords.

Now Zhu Ying's operation is to bypass the landlord class and form a brand new force.

With the development of industrialization in various parts of Ming Dynasty, more and more farmers changed their status and became workers.

Daily life doesn't mean that we can count on that one-third of an acre of land. The current social class is quietly undergoing changes.

These are things that only Zhu Ying herself can clearly understand.

How to control the new forces has become a current problem.

The existence of the Cao Gang can be said to be Zhu Ying's current attempt.

Because those who work with the Cao Gang are not farmers, but workers.

Like the peripheral members, the most basic ones are the porters on the dock.

They are born on the opposite side of the landlord, and the fundamental contradiction lies in robbing people.

For the common people, there is actually no difference between farming for the landlord, or moving goods for the Caobang master.

Even at present, the remuneration of being a porter is a little more favorable than that of farming.

When the value of the people as human beings is reflected and competition is triggered, the treatment they receive will naturally increase accordingly.

In the past, the people had no choice but to starve to death if they did not farm for the landlord.

Now that there are more ways to choose, naturally I have more sense of security.

Zhu Ying stayed here for four or five days in Zhenhaiwei.

The main reason is to carry out a rigorous design of the overall framework of the Cao Gang. The previous Cao Gang can be said to be very loose, and it is completely maintained by some military households who have retired from Zhenhaiwei.

What needs to be done now is not only better integration, but also training the core members of the Cao Gang in a semi-militarized form.

Seeing Zhenhaiwei who was busier than before, Zhu Ying couldn't help but sigh.

This is considered a crooked path.

Just engaging in a direct conflict with the landlord class on policy will most likely shake the foundation of the country.

There is no way to go wrong.

From another perspective, the existence of the Cao Gang may really be a big reliance for Zhu Ying in the next few decades.

It can be foreseen that as the Cao Gang develops to the north and south, it also means that Zhu Ying's power will be directly presented to the common people as workers themselves.

However, just when Zhu Ying was about to write a letter to the old man about these things.

An urgent letter from six hundred miles later forced Zhu Ying to return early.

On the grassland, something big happened.

(End of this chapter)